Hunter's Lament
by SCE2AUX
Summary: With a spell book acquired at a used bookstore, two gifted law students take a break from studying US law with the intention of violating natural law. Not necessarily a tenth or eleventh walker. Rated T for mild adult content and possible violence
1. Chapter 1

They had been tormenting each other with obscure legal trivia for the past ninety minutes. The tall blonde girl was Denise Reynolds, twenty-three, optimistic and vivacious, yet with an odd mystic streak. Her roommate and best friend was the twenty-two year old Katie Sarkissian. Small, dark and pretty, she wore her coal-black hair cut short.

Both were in the fall of their second year at Cornell Law School. Denise was the more traditional, graduating with honors from Ohio State, then heading right over to Ithaca. Katie, on the other hand, already had some real work experience. She had graduated a year and a half early from Georgetown and pinned on the gold bars of an Air Force second lieutenant just before she turned twenty.

After training, followed by a year in Afghanistan as a public relations officer, she was accepted at Cornell Law, and was allowed to pursue this course to join the Judge Advocate General. She was making good money, but was relieved to have a roommate.

Both girls made Law Review after the arduous First Year Of Law School. Mostly what they did now was just checking citations. It was necessary work, and virtually guaranteed Denise a huge salary upon graduation. Katie of course would be paid at the standard rate of an Air Force captain.

And in the Air Force, you're a captain forever, it seems. "I shoulda joined the Navy," she had thought to herself. But, truth be told, she never cared all that much for salt spray.

"Let's take a break, eh Denise?"

Denise didn't need to be asked twice. She smiled, then got up and went to her book bag and withdrew an extremely weathered leather volume. "I just picked this up yesterday, Kat. Wanna do some spell casting?"

Katie snorted, laughing. "What?"

"Yeah, that's what I said. But anyway, I picked up this little beauty over in Autumn Leaves occult section. It's just for fun." Her face went suddenly somber. "Now tell me Kathryn…would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf?"

"Hmmm." Katie peered at the ceiling as if in deep contemplation. "Hmmm, now being a vampire does have its advantages, doesn't it? Super strength, an epic level of coolness." She looked outside and saw the round moon just rising above the elm trees. "But practically speaking, the Air Force would never put up with me sleeping during the day. I think I would go lycanthrope – if I had to make a choice." She raised a heavy eyebrow. "And why ever would you ask?"

Denise adopted a pouty expression. "Cuz I wanna _try_ one of these!"

"Oh, course you do. And let's start right off with turning ourselves into monsters. Come on, I'm sure you could think of something a little less ambitious."

"Hmphh!" But the point was taken. Denise snuggled up to their friend to find something they could try that would be easy and simple. And optimally instantaneous."

"Oh, here's one. _World Shifter – For the sliding between Realatys._"

"'Real-attys? When was is published?"

"…Ooh, no copyright date, must be olde, with an e."

"Keep going…"

The two girls skimmed through the book, slowing down to read through some of the more intricate spells.

"Oh, how about this one Denise? Hair Growth." Katie fingered her short locks.

"That would be good, but it needs to be performed on a new moon. Looks pretty full to me."

Katie grinned. "All right, let's both try the werewolf spell. Just to show that it's bogus."

Denise immediately thumbed back to the "Fulle Metamorphasis" section. "Oooooh…they call it a curse!"

Katie shrugged. "I'm game if you are, what do we do?"

The spell was a bit extravagant, all things considered, requiring a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some flowers with white petals and a few candles. They then drove to a somewhat private wooded area.

Denise formed a six-foot pentagram with the flowers and put red and white candles at each of the points.

"You know, Katie, we have to be in the nude for this. I'll go first if you want."

"Nah, that's fine. You know the words for it better than I do." She took off her shirt and sweatpants.

"Oh my god! Katie, you're changing already!"

She rolled her eyes at that, it hurt. "Oh ha ha, but aren't we amusing," she shot back. _Stupid Armenian genes_.

Katie lay down in the circle as requested. Denise sat beside her and placing her hand over Katie's heart, she firmly intoned: "_**Luna, Luna, Leige of the wolf, I beseech thee - take the curse of the werewolf and bestow it upon Kathryn Sarkissian. At the lunar heights, she shall take the form of the beast forever more. I implore of you Luna, eternally deny Kathryn Sarkissian her humanity, howling slave of the full moon she surely ever shall be!**_"

Just a little bit melodramatic, Katie thought. And then she waited.

After at least a minute with only a bit of nervousness, Katie began to wonder if she wasn't the victim of an elaborate bet that Denise had made. "_Fifty bucks says I can get Katie flat on her back and naked in the woods." _She looked and saw that Denise's eyes were closed; her hand was still on her chest. Katie cleared her throat.

"Was it good for you?"

Denise snorted, and Katie joined in at laughing at the absurdity of it. They then switched places and repeated the ritual just for the hell of it, and were not exactly surprised or disappointed that they were just as human as when they started.

"I'm not gonna say a thing about this if you won't."

"No, _way_!"

"Could you imagine if it had worked?"

"Well if it had, we would probably both be screwed if we were lucky and dead if we weren't."

"I guess there's a reason why the conventional wisdom is not to go dicking around with this kind of thing."

They drove in silence for several minutes.

"Wanna try the alternate realities one?"

Katie thought a bit, she just loved the unabashed silliness Denise could bring to any situation. "Well not tonight…but since we're in full-blown silly mode anyway this week, how about tomorrow when we're done at Taylor?"

"Deal. Where to?"

"Ummmm. Star Wars?"

"Star Trek?"

"Too military."

"I resemble that remark. Pearl Harbor?"

"No, we might change the timeline and wind up nuking Australia. How about Blade Runner?"

"Oh, I never saw it. What about _The Paper Chase_?"

"No, I am not doing 1L again, Sarkissian! Try again."

"_The Hobbit_."

"OK, make it _Lord of the Rings_ and we're good."

"Middle Earth then?"

"Middle Earth it is!"

The great thing about making law review is that it allowed the student to miss most of their second and third year classes while still making it probable that they would get top marks in all of them.

The bad thing about making law review is that it condemned the student to at least one year of some of the driest and most meticulous drudgery in academia. For most of Monday, Denise and Katie poured over three articles submitted by law professors and checked every single citation and minute detail for accuracy and that it was, in fact, based on actual research.

It's what every ambitious first year law student aspires to.

At last, the eighteenth hour of the day came to pass, and the two friends bolted off towards the apartment.

"Who's got dinner tonight?"

"After a day like today," asked Katie, "definitely Burger King. A massive hunk of burned beef with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and large French fries on the side. And a diet Coke. I have to watch my weight."

As they ate in the apartment, while stealing each other's French fries, Katie asked what the upcoming spell would involve.

"It's not as involved as what we tried to do last night…well, let's just do it now." Denise got up and brought out some fat chunks of chalk.

"We just draw a chalk circle…it doesn't matter how big it is, just large enough for the two of us to fit in…" Denise drew a circle about five feet wide, then brought the spell book out. "Go and bring one of the white candles we bought last night, and the lighter." Katie did as she was asked.

"All right, we have everything we need. The tricky part here is getting the image of where we want in our mind. Where do we want to go in Middle Earth and when do we want to go there?"

Katie thought a moment. "If I was going to Middle Earth, I would think I would want to go somewhere that is at least reasonably safe. For the time being anyway – I wouldn't be adverse to seeing a _little _bit of action, but I would want to get my bearings sorted out."

"Good thinking," answered Denise. "Safe now but with impending peril?"

"Right."

"Ok, let's go to the Shire. We're going to imagine the Shire, let's say Bywater, just before Frodo and Sam leave."

"Is this one of those deals where we have to both perfectly picture the place we're going simultaneously?"

Denise shook her head. "As long as we know the name, the spell 'knows' what we're referring to."

Katie smirked, knowing all to well what happens when people don't ask the question. "And just so we aren't stranded, _**how do we get back?**_"

"Good question. We just need to be in the same place that we were twenty-four hours after we arrive. And it resets every day, so if we miss one, we can just try again a day later." Denise showed Katie the relevant text. It was as she said. Katie was perfectly aware that it was not going to work, but there was nothing wrong with a bit of roleplay, especially considering the nine hours of utter tedium up with which she had to put.

"Cool. Let's do it then."

Katie turned out all the lights as Denise lit the candles, then joined her in the circle.

Denise took Katie's hand and held up the candle in the other. "Pardon me if it sounds a bit windy, but I'd been going over it in my mind. You ready?" Katie nodded.

"_**Take us from our Ithaca, in the noble Empire State.**_

_**Bring us forth to Tolkien's land, so we may see it's fate.**_

_**To Middle-Earth, the living Shire, to Bywater-Hobbiton.**_

_**In heaven's name, please usher forth, Denise Reynolds and Kathryn Sarkissian…"**_

Denise extinguished the candle and the room went dark.

…."Hmmm. Not a bad bit of prose there, Denise." Katie stretched out and set her hands on the soft grass behind her.

Soft grass?

"Oh shit."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note – The Lord of the Rings is MINE I tells ya, ALL MINE, MUAH-HAHAHAHA!

OK….no. Sorry. I can't back that up. Just Katie and Denise are – as well as any OCs…obviously. That said, enjoy. Read and review, as you so desire.

* * *

><p>She was definitely no longer sitting upon the occasionally polished wood floor that she was used to. This was grass all right, she thought as she squeezed it tightly, grass soft and cool.<p>

Something like a mist seemed to lift from her eyes, and Katie could see more clearly. Denise looked at her, mouth open, and then squeezed her eyes tightly shut, then opened them and blinked several times.

"Holy crap," Denise breathed. She could hear music, Irish or Scottish, some kind of folk music playing close by.

Katie then became aware of light emanating from behind her. She turned to her left and saw what appeared to be the edge of a roof just sticking out from the ground about three inches. Indeed, the roof continued up about three feet before dropping away. She continued to turn her head and realized that they were at the top of a tiny hill, but there were paving stones at the foot of it. Looking back around she could see the bright moon shining onto water on the other side of the hill. A lake, no, a river, she decided.

"Are you all right," whispered both at the same time.

"Yeah."

"Fine."

"Good," said Denise. "Did you think it would work?"

"Not a bit. Did you?"

"Never in a million years…but…well…_shit…_I'm guessing, just as a starting point that we're somewhere around Hobbiton-Bywater, that's what I asked for, right?" She stood up and gazed towards the water. I think that water is what the locals call, _**THE**_ Water, the water, and don't get all Lou Costello on me."

"Gotcha, the water I see is called The Water. Got it." Denise walked over to the roof, "This architecture looks pretty hobbitty to me." She took Katie by the hands and lifted her up – and then hugged her tightly. "We did it! We actually fuckin' did it!"

"But where are we exactly? You know, just so we know where to be twenty-four hours from now."

Denise took Katie by the hand. "I'm almost certain that it's Bywater, but let's make sure."

They took a few steps to get off the hill and into what looked to be a medieval market place, awnings had been pulled down over the stalls for the night. The only activity seemed to be from where the music had been coming from.

"Well that clinches it. We're in Bywater, Katie. _The Green Dragon_ pub." Katie had seen the movies and read bits and pieces of the books, but Denise made a point of reading the Lord of the Rings twice a year.

Just the same, Katie was well familiar with the _Dragon_.

"Let's go in!" Denise tugged urgently at her friend's sweater. Katie held back.

"Weeeeaitt a minute! Uh, we're not exactly dressed for the Third Age, now are we? Jeans and polo shirts aren't in fashion, right. And what about money?"

Denise sighed at that. "You're right. I didn't really think about what we were wearing. But we either go in or spend an uncomfortable twenty-four trying not to be seen by some of the sweetest people we could ever hope to meet." Katie opened her mouth, but Denise held up her hand.

"Now as far as the issue of money…how much do you have in cash?"

"Forty-eight dollars and twenty cents, but I don't think we'll do much with it."

"You're right. We won't. Remember how I said I was worried about deficit spending and how the US dollar was probably going to collapse before 2015?"

"Yes. Then I asked why you were spending good money on law school."

"Which I never did give a good answer for. But I wasn't entirely idle with my concerns." She pulled a small pouch from her front pocket. "These are Canadian Maple Leafs, and these little beauties are one troy ounce of gold. I got ten of them, five for me and five for you." She looked at her friend with a serious expression. "I know this is what you did for two years, but let me do the talking for now. Hobbits are a bit guarded when it comes to us 'Big Folk.'"

Katie nodded her agreement and they entered.

The air was thick with the aroma of pipeweed and conversation. Cheerful music played quietly off in the corner, but it was apparent that this was a place for drinking, snacking, and conversation. Not a flatscreen in sight.

"…so 'es sayin that there ain't no way, no how that 'e can give 'em to me at that price."

"No, I'd reckon not, not when they're going for half a gold over at Frogmorton. Even higher at Bree, if the word goin' round's to be believed. Oh, now lookee here." The little man speaking had noticed the two. Denise and Katie nodded, smiling sweetly, but continued to the bar.

"Things getting' queerer 'n queerer, now ain't they?"

Katie kept an even expression as she followed slightly behind her friend. The bar was just under three feet high, and was staffed by two hobbits, an older man and a woman that appeared to be about their age.

"Good evening." The woman's voice was apparently English, as was everyone else's, though with a variety of accents. "Welcome to the Green Dragon, and what would be your pleasure?"

"We'll start off with two half pints of ale, and do you have rooms for two?"

"Aye, we do…well just one room left. How many nights?"

"I think just one, we won't be staying long."

"Well, for just the one night, it would be fifteen silver. But I can offer you three for thirty if you're so inclined."

Denise turned to Katie, who was casually looking around and noticing that everyone seemed to be staring at them while taking pains to appear as if they were not staring at them. "What do you say? Want to stay for three nights?"

"Can we get back to where we're going in time?"

"Yeah, we'll be back right around the same time we left. The amesay ightnay."

"Sure, let's do it then."

The girl beamed at having made the upsale. "Right then, that'll be thirty-two silver, which includes the drinks."

Denise extracted one gold coin and presented it to the barmaid, crossing her fingers as she did so. The response of the barmaid did not surprise her or Katie.

"Good gracious, such a fine coin. Is it Elvish make? No, this isn't Qwenya or Sindarin at all, where did you get this?"

Oh crap, thought Katie, we should have known it would come to this. Denise, though, was quick to answer.

"Let's just say that we learned quite a bit from the elves, mellon. Obviously we are from out of town, across the sea, in fact. This coin is from the Kingdom of Canada, a friendly nation to the north of us. We are both from the land of Cornell."

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh, of course, no offence meant. Will you accept sixty-eight Shire silver in exchange?"

"That would be perfect, Miss…"

"Cotton. Rosie Cotton."

"Pleased to meet you Rosie, I am Denise Reyn; my friend is Captain Kathryn Sarkissian." She pronounced Katie's surname with the accent on the third syllable so as to make it seem a little less foreign.

"Oh!? She fights?"

Katie broke in at this. "Not as much as my friends, Miss Cotton. I am much more of a diplomat than a swordsman. And even there, my friend is much more familiar with this area than I am."

"All the same, I'm honoured to meet you both. Here are your drinks, just let me know if you want for more."

They took the halfsies and found seats. The locals were more than willing to make room for them. They took seats next to some of the older residents.

"Well now," said one of the gentlemen. "This is a pleasure. And what brings ye to Bywater?"

Denise looked around furtively. "Rumor has it that there were queer folk about. Elves. Dwarves. Others of a less savory nature if you catch my meaning."

"That might be a rumor, then it might not, guess it depends where ye heard it. Where did ye hear it?"

"Oh, come off it, Ham, you know you've been saying as much even before our boys left."

"Saradoc!"

"We don't wish to get between friends," said Katie immediately. "We'd heard from merchants that there were odd things happening in…Eriador. Since our lands haven't been exactly friendly, we thought we might take some time off and see for ourselves." That was true, wasn't it, she thought to herself?

The man sighed, nodding. "Hamfast Gamgee, then. Talkative one here is Saradoc Brandybuck. 'Fraid I didn't catch your names when you were sharing 'em with Rosie."

Denise repeated the introductions. "Well, if it's any consolation, I have to tell you that your fears may well be justified. We will need to speak to your…I believe you call him your sherriff."

"Shirriff, aye. Just your bad luck that Robin decided to stay home tonight. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you tomorrow, he's always been good to my boy, Sam."

"Thank you very much Mr. Gamgee."

"Oh never you mind the 'Mister,' everyone calls me the Gaffer, you can call me Ham if you like."

"Of course, and please call me Denise. Just make sure you call Katie, 'Captain.'"

**_thump_**

"Ow!"

"Feel free to call me Katie, Ham."

"Anyway," said Denise, rubbing the back of her head, "you were saying your son is off on a vacation himself?"

"Oh, I guess you might call it that. He left just a bit over a week ago." Denise didn't pursue the matter further, though she did buy a round of drinks for everyone. The night wore on, and the patrons dwindled."

"Well Denise, Katherine, it's been a unique pleasure, an' I hope I'll be seeing more of you." Both assured him that he would as they saw him out the door.

Rosie took the two downstairs to the guest rooms. "If you need anything, just ring."

The beds were small, but adequate, with several layers of quilts and a large pillow.

"Ohhhhhh," moaned Katie as she spread out on one. "God, that feels good!"

"Don't go to sleep just yet. Let's talk about what we're gonna do.

"'Sleep until noon' sounds about right just now.

"Maybe," she said, grabbing Katie by the big toe and dragging her legs off the bed. "But let's stop and think a bit."

"OK, OK, what's on your mind."

"Look, the old Gaffer said that his son Sam…that would be Sam Gamgee…you know, Sean Austin, left about a week ago. They left on September twenty-third. The moon was almost full, probably waning, so right now it's probably the first to third of October."

"Okay, so what are you thinking."

"What I'm thinking is that we want to protect the Shire as well we can – but we also want to get to Rivendell pretty quickly as well."

"…Wait. Hold on. First we were staying a night, then three nights, then we're traveling across the whole of Eriador? It's a bit much, don't you think?"

"We aren't gonna go to Mordor, we're just going to offer them what we know. It's _really_ not that far. Three weeks, four max, from here to Rivendell and back. Come on, Katie, it can't be worse than Bagram, right?"

Katie chuckled, despite herself, then fixed her friend with a glare that had in the past made many an experienced airman and law professor flinch.

"Fine."


	3. Chapter 3

Denise opened her mouth to argue and said, "But…wait, you said 'fine?"

Katie smiled. "If you're up to it, I am. How far is it to Rivendell, do you know?"

Denise didn't know off hand, but they agreed that they would spend the day researching and buying supplies. As she slipped under the covers, Katie did a quick mental inventory of what she had.

Not much. Just the clothes she was wearing, a ladies wristwatch, her keys, and a wallet filled with things that were at best useless to her and very possibly dangerous. And it wasn't like she could just throw away her credit and ID cards. She just had those five gold coins.

What were they worth? she wondered. They would have spent 15 silver for just one night. Assuming that the average cost for an inn was fifty dollars a night, which meant that each silver coin was worth about $3.30. A hundred silver makes a gold. $330 per gold piece.

We aren't destitute at any rate, she thought before letting sleep take her.

No sooner had she fallen asleep it seemed than she was woken up to a gentle rapping at the door. Katie shook her head and saw that Denise as well was up struggling to revive herself.

"Breakfast in on! Warm water for a bath if ye want it."

"We're coming!" Denise turned to Katie. "You can grab the bath first if you want?"

"Thanks. What time is it?" Denise shrugged. There was no sunlight filtering down, and the flickering candles only offered faint light.

They took turns bathing, and then headed back upstairs for a breakfast of eggs, toast and tea.

Denise asked Rosie Cotton "Is it normally this empty in the morning, Rosie?"

"Around this time, yes. Did you have any plans?"

"We have some ideas. What day is it exactly? The trip over was a bit disconcerting." Katie nodded her agreement

"Of course! It's Monday, September 8th."

"Third Age, 3018?" Katie rolled her eyes.

"Well…ah, 1418, Shire Reckoning. Just add sixteen hundred, yeah?"

"Rosie, how long would it take to get to Rivendell from here?"

"Rivendell!? I don't rightly know, Miss Katie. The man you were talking to last night, the Old Gaffer, his son, Sam left for Rivendell over a week ago. It's a long distance, over a hundred leagues if it's an inch.

"All right, who would we talk to about getting some horses, or ponies?"

"Oh that would be Bogo Chubb. He's on the road leading to Bywater Bridge, so just go straight back over the road leading a little northwest. You'll see him tending the stables most likely, right across the Ivy Bush.

They paid for the breakfast and left to see Mr. Chubb.

"Wow!" exclaimed Katie as they crested over the hill leading towards Hobbiton. Arriving at night, she never guessed how beautiful the Shire could be, but in the light of day, the emerald rolling hills stretched for miles, with stands of mostly broadleaf trees scattered like islands on a Kelly green sea. It was like Europe, but as if God had doubled the intensity of color.

"We have to stay longer than three days." Denise, openmouthed and silent, nodded dumbly - then grinned and patted her friend on the shoulder.

It took nearly and hour and a half to make the five miles to Hobbiton, and they were both happy for a substantial breakfast

Chubb sat by the stables, enjoying the view towards the southwest: the river called the Water, and the mill being turned by it. Tall pine trees lined the hill behind it.

"I'd heard we had some Big Folk in town, I've got just two horses in stock, so I'm afraid your choice is a bit limited." He turned to Katie. "You might be small enough for a pony if Bailey isn't the one you're looking for."

"You do rent horses though?" asked Denise.

"Oh quite. Two gold for security and five silver a day - thirty silver a week..."

"We're planning on heading to Rivendell, but we will be coming back.

"In that case, I would budget three weeks. It won't take that long if you keep them at a good canter, but mind then that they would need to rest a bit more. You have horses of your own, I take it?"

"I have a silver Mustang back home."

"A mustang? Now that's something. Have you tried breeding him?"

Katie and Denise struggled to keep a straight face. "To be honest, I haven't given it much thought," said Denise. "But now that you mention it, it would be something to see."

"It always is lass. So then, will it be the two horses for you?"

"I think so."

"That will be four gold. I'll give you this day free 'o charge, and you can settle your account when you return. If something should happen, then I guess you've bought out the last of my horses."

They each drew out two gold pieces and paid, but weren't especially anxious to leave. Bogo gave them a seated tour of what they could see.

"Now down the hill at the water, the mill belongs to Mr. Theodore Sandyman, bit of a gossip, really. Up the hill, that's Bag End."

"Home of Bilbo Baggins?" asked Katie.

"Used to be," said Bogo. "Then it was his nephew, Frodo's - who just passed it on to Lobelia Sacksville-Baggins." He shivered slightly as he said this. "How'd you know about Bilbo?"

"I overheard the name last night," said Katie. "I liked the alliteration. Tell me, Mr. Chubb, what do you know about the lands we'll be going through?"

"Myself personally? I've never been further from home than East Farthing, but from what I've heard, and this is only hearsay, once you get over the Brandywine the roads can never be completely safe. You'll want some weapons and armor with you out there. Beyond that, there's not much I can say. Most of us Shire folk stay in the Shire. Now Bilbo - maybe this is what you heard - Bilbo he got around. He went out one day, eighty some years ago and came back with pony laden with gold and whatnot. Generous to a fault with it, he was, but never really seen as respectable after that adventure he had."

Katie thought they could easily spend the day conversing with Bogo Chubb, but the girls decided that it was time to move on.

"We'd like to stick around all day, but we do have a job to do." Denise weighed her words, wondering how they would be received. "We're going to tell the Shirriff about this, and he'll act as he sees fit, but we wanted you to know just the same. This is a pretty important travel node in the Shire, isn't it?"

"I do a healthy bit of business, so I suppose so, yes."

"Bogo, in the next few months, probably starting around December or January, more people like Katie and me will be showing up. They are going to try to change the Shire, and not in a good way. Listen for men mentioning the name of 'Sharkey.'

Bogo was silent, considering her words. "And then what?"

"Pardon?"

"And what should we do about them? We don't mean to seek trouble if we can avoid it."

"I'm sure that's true. You'll make your own decisions, but just knowing that there could be trouble coming should help the Shire immensely."

Bogo looked at the two women intensely. They were Big, but they were also young, barely into their tweens if he was any judge. How could they know what the Shire would face. He sighed inwardly. They meant well, obviously, and were willing to risk being embarrassed. He nodded and smiled.

"Fine, fine then. Shirriff Robin Smallburrow is the man you'll be wanting. Course, you'll usually find him in the Ivy Bush.

"Wait…in a tavern?"

"It makes perfect sense, my dear. People go to the pub for a drink, but if they see the law there, it keeps down the rowdies. Also, a separate office might make a visit a bit intimidating. No, Robin has it planned nicely, you'll see. And for what good it does, I will follow your advice and keep tabs on you Big Folk coming through!" He laughed with them as they left, promising that they'd be back for the horses.

Shirriff Smallburrow was willing to listen, but he was a bit reticent about heeding the advice of two outsiders on Shire security.

"Do you have any credentials I might see?"

"We use a different alphabet, Shirriff," showing him the pretty gold coin as an example. He shrugged.

"I appreciate your words of warning, and you seem to have good intentions, but put yourself in my place. We hobbits are pretty paranoid as it is when it comes to outsiders, no offence. Personally, I'm glad you are here enjoying our land, but let's be honest – you have no credentials, no references. Nothing more than your two fair faces. Still, I shall pass on your words and assure you that we aren't a people to be pushed around." He bid them good day.

"What now, Dennie?" Denise rolled her eyes. "Nothing for it but to go horseback riding, eh?

Bogo greeted and then presented his customers with two horses, complete with saddles and feed bags. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Denise struggling to mount Fisher but said nothing.

Fisher and Bailey were both bay horses of five and seven years old, both fairly well-behaved, though Fisher was more on the frisky side.

"You know Kate, if we'd gone to Narnia, they would talk back to us."

"I'm freaked out enough as is. Where are we going?"

"I don't know if we can make it, but I'd at least like to try to make it to Rivendell to see the Council of Elrond. That's the twenty-fifth. Even if we don't make it though, we'll be seeing some pretty scenery."

Katie took another look around. "I'm fine with that." She motioned with her hand. "This is incredible!"

They continued towards the west. The road, the Great East Road, was all they needed to know for getting to Imladris.

"This road starts back in Lindon, and goes all the way to the Misty Mountains and on through Mirkwood. You know, from the Hobbit?"

Katie laughed, and said in a fairly decent Surrey accent "'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to. Do you realize that this is the very path that goes through Mirkwood, and that if you let it, it might take you to the Lonely Mountain or even further and to worse places?' Oh yes, I know the Hobbit!"

Denise giggled, the quote was from the Lord of the Rings, not the Hobbit, and replied in her best West Country voice, which wasn't all that good. "Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee, don't you leave him!"

Katie came back with "Could I just play one set of downs for Old Notre Dame, Mister Frodo? Just one set of downs?"

_"The road goes ever on and on..."_

_"Down from the door where it began...now far ahead the road has gone..."_

_"And I must follow if I can..."_

Fisher and Bailey whinnied softly, giving Denise a naughty idea. She massaged her horses neck and whispered: _**"Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul..."**_ She got no further than that. Fisher screamed and reared up. Denise shrieked and hit the cobblestones hard."

"WHOA!" Katie chased and caught Fisher a hundred yards later, bringing him back to Denise who was walking painfully and rubbing her backside.

"Okay," she said shakily. "I'm sorry, buddy," she apologized to the horse. "Note to Self: No Black Speech in front of the horsies."

"What, that 'One Ring to rule them all,' business."

"Yeah," said Denise. "I'm not doing that again."

As they continued towards the Brandywine, they continued singing, this time more somberly.

_'The Bearer of the ring, the wearer of the ring _

_Stands on the very brink of fate _

_Staring into eyes of darkness and despair _

_That rise and shrink with hate _

_Beware the power is a power unknown _

_Beware the power that was simple has now grown _

_Beware the bearer of the ring _

_The power has yet to be shown _

_The bearer of the ring, the wearer of the ring _

_He hears a voice compelling him _

_Filling him with thoughts that echo in his mind _

_It should be telling him _

_Beware the power, deal with power unknown _

_Beware, the power that was simple has now grown _

_Beware the bearer of the ring _

_Final power has yet to be shown _

_The bearer of the ring, the wearer of the ring _

_Beware who wears the ring!"_

As the last words of the grim song faded, Katie wondered.

"Denise, are we doing the right thing? I mean, if just the words on the ring have the effect they did on the horses."

"It's a dangerous piece of hardware. Just remember Kathryn, we're going to see those off who will destroy it. Or at least just see them and make sure they go on their quest with as much good information as we can offer them. If you had the means and ability to see your grandfather off just before Iwo Jima, wouldn't you do so?"

"Great uncle, and it was Utah Beach, and I assure you that I've already seen _**quite **_a lot of martial nastiness…but I get your point. Still, you have to wonder what kind of danger we're messing about in. We know the One Ring is dangerous and intelligent. Can it sense us, know about us?"

The sky had darkened to a dull orange; it was time to find a place for the night. Denise pondered her friend's question and answered carefully.

"That's a good, a very good question. The ring is dangerous and intelligent, and purely malignant. I've read stories, fanfiction, that mention the ring enticing Mary-Sues and better characters – so let's assume that we have to watch ourselves. If you or I say "precious," the other brings it up immediately, okay?"

Normally, such an admonition would lead to a banter of bad Serkis impressions, but the gravity was all too clear. Katie nodded and asked what town would be coming up next.

"We should be coming up on Frogmorton. Do you want to stop or keep going? Another two hours at this rate and we could be crossing the Brandywine tomorrow.

"Ugh, decisions. Well, what's the point of being here if we can't enjoy the view? Let's stop now and start early in the morning just before sunrise. 'Sides, I'm sure Fisher and Bailey would appreciate the rest, wouldn't you, darlin'?" Bailey neighed in agreement.

Frogmorton was about thirty miles west of Hobbiton. Here the Water broke into two streams, resulting in a soggy wet marsh with great fishing, mainly due to the food provided by the number of insects. Fortunately for the inhabitants, only a few of them were of the flying and biting variety, but more than one hobbit had been bitten by the occasional adder, and gnats were an ever-present nuisance. It was located beneath the Great East Road on the water, getting to it involved descending a steep grade. The girls dismounted and led the horses to the Floating Log Inn.

"It wasn't as if we could call for reservations, was it?"

"I forgive you, Katie, but you're hogging all the covers. At least you're short."

"Oi, shush you two!"

"Shhh!"

Obviously, neither of them slept well that night. Coffee was nowhere to be found, but a sympathetic Ponto Hopsbloom offered his guests a free pot of the strongest tea he could brew and an open invitation when they returned.

"Now you're going the wrong way for swords and armor in the Shire proper, but just over the river in Buckland, they do offer a wide variety. Most of it is hobbit-sized, but it should make do until you get to Bree."

The bed, there were no rooms left other than the very crowded dormitory cost them three silver. Katie wondered what their options might be if they ran out of money, they had already spent more than half their money, and buying weapons and armor would be even more of a bite. As friendly and gracious as they were, there was no mistaking the small but inherent xenophobia of the Shire people. Once they got to Bree, she promised that she would check out any employment possibilities.

Just in case.


	4. Chapter 4

Denise and Katie sat on the stone walls of the Brandywine bridge, looking to the north. The young women could certainly understand why the river they were now crossing was called the Brandywine, the river was the color of dark tea, similar in color to the water of the Okefenokee Swamp. Denise assumed the color came from much the same way, though as she looked to the north she saw nothing that might provide the tannic acid that would color the water.

"Do you remember what we would find if we traveled upstream?"

"Up the Brandywine, Kate? Yeah, it'll eventually lead into Lake Evendim and the old city of Annuminas. I would say that it's a gorgeous area, but that generally describes everything west of the Misty Mountains.

It was nearly noon, and they had made good time after waking up before the sun had risen, but they still needed to get to Buckland and back on the East Road. Katie and Denise saddled up and left the Shire.

Buckland was guarded by the North Gate, the Hobbit guard of which greeted Denise and Kate almost as soon as they were off the Brandywine Bridge.

"If you're looking for swords and armor, there should be an open market in Newbury. It's not the finest equipment, but it will be enough to give any bandits second thoughts."

On that advice, they entered the gate and headed south and east for about an hour until they were in the midst of Newbury, a small but bustling little hamlet. Most of the population was made up of hobbits, but a few men were there, obviously conducting business of some sort. It didn't take them long to find the appropriate market, a semicircle of tables and improvised bins displaying everything from cotton shirts to dull plated steel armor – as well as several variations in between. On the other side, towards the south, blacksmiths offered a limited variety of swords and daggers, most of them straight, but a few molded into the smooth curve of a saber. Towards the rear, a bowman and fletcher oversaw bows and arrows.

"Okay," whispered Denise. "Any thoughts on what to get Cap'n?"

"I like my rank, Reynolds. Personally, I'd rather rely on my finesse with the bow, with a sword and dagger for backup. You? Heh, you're big and strong, but you'd be better off with a short sword and a shield."

Denise nodded her agreement. "I could see myself in that. I didn't know you were an archer."

"I'm not. But I took a course in fencing in DC to satisfy my Phys. Ed. requirement before I thought to join ROTC. It wasn't pretty. No, I'll go with the bow."

They agreed that the armor could wait, they needed some weapons first.

"Greetings," said Katie. "We're in the market for some swords for my friend and I."

The sword seller, a robust hobbit with gold hair, looked at his newest customers speculatively.

"Swords, eh? Had you anything in particular in mind?" Katie explained their needs. The sword seller nodded, and then offered Katie a hunting knife that had a dull grey blade about nine or ten inches long and a brown leather-covered handle about half as long.

"Nothing fancy, of course, but well-honed, just the thing if you want to dress whatever animals you come across. It'll discourage the weakest of bandits, but for those that are in the least bit competent…" At this, he reached down and withdrew two swords, one about two and a half feet, the other about three. He handed the longer one to Denise. A bastard sword, it could be wielded with one or two hands. Denise barely managed to stifle a gleeful squeal as she took the sword. It was simple steel, forged with a center ridge running to the guard, but it was well polished, the afternoon sun sparkled off the metal. The handle was straight and simple; a half-inch thong of dark brown leather covered the grip, wrapping it up to a semicircular pommel. Looking to ensure she would not injure any onlookers, Denise waved the sword in a lazy figure eight, then twirled it, then adopted what she could best remember as a proper swordfighting stance.

"It, ah…it feels right," she said. Odd, it felt like she was a natural at it.

"You look good with it Denise. Might need some work on your technique, but I'd say it's a good start."

"Goodwomen, I have some practice swords if you wish to try your hand at combat."

Both pairs of eyes lit up at that suggestion, and within a minute were trading and blocking blows.

What the hell, thought Katie. She had probably overstated her "fencing prowess" at Georgetown to Denise, but the weighted wooden sword felt natural to her. She easily blocked her friend's thrusts and slashes, but Denise was able to counter her own blows with just as little strain. Within two minutes, a crowd had gathered.

"Got ourselves an audience," Denise noted.

Don't talk, fight, thought Katie. "Mind what you're doing, Denise," she warned as she nearly chopped her friend's arm off at the elbow. Katie continued with two thrusts that forced Denise back even as she blocked both of them, and on the last thrust, she batted Katie's sword up in the. She followed up with a riposte to Katie's belly, but Kate grabbed Denise's shoulder, pulling her into Katie's blade.

Denise looked down at the sword that would now be sticking half a foot out her back had it been real and said "I yield," a sheepish smile on her face.

Light applause and calls of "Well done," and "Nicely played," echoed in the marketplace. Both girls curtsied, then turned to the merchant.

"Yeah, I think we'll take these. We need a bow and some armor that we can afford, do you have any suggestions?"

There was little choice as far as bows were concerned, Katie picked up a rather plain short yew bow of just over four feet and a quiver of three dozen arrows. The fletcher showed Katie how to maintain the bow and string. Katie practiced a bit and surprised herself by hitting seven of ten targets center mass – rapid fire unaimed.

Denise and Katie agreed that, although the plate and scale armor was pretty, oh, and rock solid protection, it really wasn't something they cared to spend their gold on.

"It'd be great for me, swording and boarding, but…"

"Yeah, I'm more of a finesse type," agreed Katie.

Although it wasn't field plate, plate mail, scale mail, or mail, two sets of leather armor was still expensive. "I really hope this all comes back with us when we…" Denise caught ourselves.

"It's a necessary precaution Denise, our government will surely compensate our expenditure," said a tight-lipped Katie.

"Oh, you're here on official business," asked the merchant, a tall bearded man by the name of Lionel.

"Officially unofficial official business," replied Katie with a smile. "Our new king had been interested in these lands, in possibly establishing formal relations. For some odd reason, his majesty, may he live forever, thought that he should send me on a fact-finding mission. I am Kathryn Celias Sarkissian." She hooked a thumb back at Denise. "That's my seneschal and maid-at-arms, Denise."

Denise rolled her eyes. "Yes milady."

Katie continued. "We are going to be setting out towards Bree, then Rivendell, I trust you come from those parts.

"Er, I do, Bree, and you would do well to find an able-bodied escort if at all possible. You came from the Shire, I presume?"

"We did."

"Yes, well, them Hobbits are a bit odd, but nobody'll tell you that they are an upstanding people. You start headin' east though; you are taking your lives in your hands. I'm glad to see you kitted up for fighting, that'll work in your favor.

Their purchases made, they headed back the way they came.

"It's going to be dark soon, Denise, do you want to stay in this area?"

"No, I'd kind of like to keep moving. I wouldn't mind sleeping under a tree, if you're up for it."

Katie shrugged her approval. "The weather's been pretty clear, and we'll have a bright moon. Say the word when you get tired, then?"

Denise agreed and they made their way past the North Gate, turning right.

The sun dropped below the horizon about two hours later, the waning moon appeared in the Eastern sky.

"Whoa…Katie…wait up a moment?"

"Are you tired?"

"No, not at all…it's just that. Hmm, the moon's in the wrong place.

"Come again?"

Denise laughed nervously. "I dunno how I know this, but I know it. The moon is too low for September. Maybe Rosie was confused or just unsettled by our being there. Damn, I should have known when the Old Gaffer mentioned Sam leaving. It's not September, Kate, but October most likely.

"So we are way behind schedule then?"

"It'll be hard getting to Rivendell before the Council of Elrond, but we can still make it, it depends on how screwed up our dates are." Denise mounted up, and waited for Katie to do the same.

After about another hour, the full dark of night crept in. "We'd better call it a night, Denise."

"Well wait, I see some people up ahead, maybe they can straighten out our calendars."

Katie looked ahead and indeed there were, a group of about six men attempting to fix a broken cart that had tumbled over on its side.

"Good evening!" said Denise. "Anything we can do to help?"

"Aye! Glad you came along. An adder spooked the horses; they broke loose and ran us into this ditch. If you could pull up back up with these fine steeds, we'd be more than grateful."

Of course Katie and Denise were happy to help. They affixed ropes to the saddles and necks of their horses and with a bit of urging managed to get the cart upright. Since Bailey alone could now pull the cart out of the ditch, Denise dismounted to take a look at the broken wheel and give the cart some support. A couple of tugs and the cart was back on the road.

"Well done, ladies, you have fine horses. They will fetch a fine price when we resell them."

Denise's eyes widened.

"Now stand and deliver."

"What!?"

The night air was broken by the sound of five swords being unsheathed – and a scream as Katie felt an arrow pierce her upper left arm.

"KATIE!"

Denise instinctively reached for her sword, and felt a hand on her shoulder. "Wouldn't try it lass, and you might enjoy what we have planned for you."

Repulsed, Denise shoved him away as best she could, and fumbled to get her sword out of the scabbard. A second arrow struck her in the stomach, but the boiled leather armor protected her flesh.

The arrow that had hit Katie had gone in just over her bicep, she moaned as she sat up and broke the arrow shaft. There was no way she would be able to hold a bow. She left the weapon on the ground and unsheathed her sword.

Gotta get Denise out of there, she thought as she saw the arrow hit her friend in the stomach. The archer saw Katie and fired again, but Katie managed to dodge the attack, and an instant later was upon him. Her furious slash cut into the man's neck, and he collapsed. Katie turned to free Denise from the remaining five brigands – just in time to see the leader slash Denise in the stomach.

Denise felt the sharp sting of the blade cutting through leather, through cotton into skin. Her sword dropped from her hands as she felt blood and bile rise in her throat, and just as she was about to lose consciousness, another blade cut across her throat.

Kate screamed in anguish as her friend collapsed into a spreading pool of blood. Attack, she thought for an instant, then…run. Just…run.

Whether it was cowardice or just self-preservation didn't enter her mind at the moment. She ran.


	5. Chapter 5

She had managed to duck out of the way of grasping arms as she ran. A few arrows whizzed by her, somebody had grabbed the bow of the fallen archer. She heard the thud of three or four pairs of boots as the bandits gave chase. Run, she screamed inwardly, run!

Katie didn't know how long she ran, nor did she really care. The only thoughts flooding her mind were _my friend is dead!_ and _stay alive!_ The sound of the men chasing her slowed, but she needed to be sure she was well ahead of them. Her lungs screamed and legs ached, she had run long distances before, but never because her life was endangered.

"Come back…and fight…coward!"

Despite her grief and anger, Katie laughed at this. Yeah, as if setting up a trap to rob and rape passersby was really brave. Just an attempt to shame her into suicide. _Some other time, asshole!_ she longed to shout back, but she was clearheaded enough not to give them any help in finding her than she had to. There would be time enough for revenge – _no, justice - _soon enough.

Even as the sound of the men behind her faded away, she continued running, more or less east by northeast. The terrain was rolling and grassy, but the thick grasses concealed a number of ruts and irregularities, she stumbled on occasion. Katie looked for a place to hide, a stand of trees, a group of rocks, anything that might offer some concealment or cover. Nothing; she just kept moving her legs as quickly as possible, it was getting harder and harder to do so.

At last, thoroughly exhausted, she slowed and stopped. The enormity of what had happened overwhelmed her, she had taken a man's life, and she had seen the death of her closest friend. The pain of it brought her to her knees, she wept bitterly, curling up and sobbing for Denise. Sleep eventually crept over her.

She awoke just before sunrise. Her left arm was throbbing and she gingerly felt the barbed arrow embedded in it. With a grimace, she pushed the broken shaft…

"AHHHHH!" It hurt terribly, but not as much as she thought it would. The exit wound was about an inch wide, and she wasn't too concerned that it was bleeding freely. Katie figured that she'd have maybe two days before a rather nasty infection set in.

Now where in the world was she? Denise would know, or could at least venture a reasonable guess. All Kate knew was that she was somewhere between the Shire and Bree, and that she'd been heading towards Bree, but maybe a bit north?

Air Force officers are known more for their technological prowess than their skill in the woods, and Katie kind of wished that she'd gone to SERE school like her friends who were pilots and intelligence officers. But since the Air Force had originally part of the Army, there was some field training included, she could figure out how to survive – her wound wasn't crippling, just inconvenient.

As it was, she took stock of what she had. Her bow was gone, but she still had the short sword and her hunting knife. After spending the money on weapons and armor, she found that she was down to 822 pieces of silver. They didn't get that at least, she thought. She didn't bother checking her pack, a few dirty clothes and that was it. "So, my first order of business it to get this wound safely bandaged, but since I can't do that, guess I'm going east."

The sky went from purple to red to salmon as the sun began its climb. Wherever she was, it was almost as breathtaking as the Shire, albeit a bit more rugged. Tall hills rose to the north along with patches of wooded areas.

She wished she still had her bow. There was plenty of game for her to hunt, but she wasn't going to get anything with a sword. Not unless she found an old and sick creature, and by what she'd been seeing, the bears were picking them off at every opportunity – and she wasn't about to go bear hunting with a sword.

Katie stopped to rest around noon, rest and examine her wound. The torn flesh seemed healthy enough so far, and the cuts weren't as wide as she thought they were in the morning. She still hurt though, and her stomach was getting ready to go full Pavarotti. She staggered up and continued east.

Katie camped that night in the open, exhausted and hungry. Her thoughts returned to what had happened the night before, then to the nights, days, weeks, and months before that. Again she slept

The pain in her arm, she noticed as she awoke, had been replaced by an intense itching. _What I wouldn't give for a bath right now_, ran through her mind. Her stomach growled, _or a fat juicy steak. _She was at least able so quench her thirst somewhat by licking the dew off the grass. So much for dignity.

Another day of walking, grieving, and starving went by. Maybe she should have tried to take on one of the smaller black bears she had seen, of course, the bears didn't tend to travel alone, and being a bit short in the idiocy department, she was glad that she didn't have yet to face one. She examined her upper arm again, and after cleaning off the dried blood that flowed from the wound, thanked heaven that the bandit archer had somehow sterilized his arrows. The following day, upon waking, she noted that the wounds had closed up a bit at the corners.

She had only walked a few miles when she saw what appeared to be a farm in the distance. Elated, but dizzy from hunger she approached the buildings and fields. A few men appeared, bags of seed in hand.

"H….eY!" Her voice cracked badly from its lack of use. The men looked around, unsure what they had heard.

"Ay!" That got their attention, and what they saw appeared to be a boy with greasy dark hair in relatively new leather armor with a sword on his left side and a hunting knife on the right.

"If he goes for the sword, men…," murmured the foreman, the unspoken instruction was fully understood.

Katie saw the men whispering and made sure that she kept her hands open and well away from her sides.

"Good morning, gentlemen. I'm very, _very_ happy to see you."

"…"

"Um…I'm…Kathryn. I was traveling with my friend and robbers attacked us. I escaped, but my friend was murdered."

"Them damned brigands don't know when to stop, do they?" said the foreman to the others. "When did this happen Kathryn?"

"It was…three days ago, just a few hours east of Buckland. It happened just as dark had fallen and we came across a cart that had fallen into a ditch."

The men nodded. "Sounds like they brought back that old trick, surprised anyone falls for it anymore."

Katie ignored that. "Is there any help you can offer me, I know you're off to work and everything. What's the date, anyway?"

The foreman shook his head. "It's Monday, October 13th, but we ain't too busy to help a woman, 'specially one who's been attacked and seen her friend kilt. Tom, Harold, you go get that Ranger, see if he can't find more about the brigand band that attacked them. Kathryn, I'm Bill. Let's get you up to the Thornley's and get some food in you.

Katie followed Bill up to the farmhouse. The Thornley's had left for Bree early that morning and would not be back until Wednesday.

"You go and get cleaned up, Katie. I'll make you some breakfast."

With those welcomed words, Katie staggered upstairs to the bathroom. The Thornley's had obviously done well with their farm, it looked like a home from the mid 1800's, not medieval Europe. No hot water of course, but there was a means to draw and heat it, and twenty minutes later, she was soaking in a steaming bath. She cleaned the arrow wound vigorously, yet it didn't even sting now. What was embarrassing was that she hadn't really been able to groom herself as she normally would, and with her heritage the need of a razor was evident. There was plenty of soap, but no razors, and her hunting knife wasn't really up to the task. "Oh great," she muttered.

After rinsing off and drying, and turning her clothes over to for washing, she went down for a veritable feast of eggs, toast, and bacon.

As it turned out, she had stumbled back into civilization just a few miles north of Bree and learned that her friend's murder had already been discovered. A man, what they called a Ranger was there to ensure that brigands didn't get too aggressive around the surrounding farms, but he couldn't be everywhere at once.

"You did the right thing in running, Kate," he told her "you would have been another victim otherwise. Usually they are satisfied with taking people's money and running off, and if we manage to catch 'em we hang 'em or lock 'em up for a few seasons. But now that they have crossed the line into rape and murder, they've either gotten a lot bolder or a lot dumber."

Katie nodded. "What happens now?"

"That's really up to you. We won't ask you to identify the body, we'll just accept your signature on the appropriate documents. We can have her sent back east if that is what her family wishes, did she give you any indication of what she wanted?"

Er…

"I think, Saeredan, actually, if it wouldn't be too much to ask, she would be honored to be buried here in Middle Earth."

"Then it shall be done as you wish."

Denise Reynolds was laid to rest the next morning in a small but well-maintained cemetery just north of Bree. Katie was surprised that so many came to say goodbye to this unknown young woman who was only brought to their attention a couple of days ago.

"Well, don't be too flattered for your friend," chuckled Saeredan. "The people of Bree are good, but frightened. As soon as this is over, we are going to find the men who did this to her, and they will pay for what they did."

Fury flashed in Katie's eyes. "May I…"

"We'd be honored. More to the point, we'd appreciate you being there to identify the guity, or at least their remains."

She was given a new bow, smoothly crafted of blackwood. It was polished and lacquered, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and exquisitely carved.

She also received a horse, another bay, equipped with what they called a hunter's saddle.

The group of fourteen men and one woman rode west at a rapid pace. Katie rode more or less in the middle. _So what's the plan_, she thought, _ride until we find something or somebody that looks banditty enough and attack it/them?_ With some effort, she guided her horse out of the mass, and over to Saeredan.

"How do you plan on finding what we're looking for?"

"Good question. Any ideas?"

"Really? You don't know?"

"Hold!" shouted Saeredan. "Katie, we Rangers just have a knack for finding what we're looking for, even if we aren't exactly sure of what we're looking for." He nodded ahead, towards the northwest. "See that?"

"See, wh-… Oh."

Saeredan looked genuinely surprised. "You do see it?"

It was obvious to her now. In one of several copses of trees was a small wooden fortress, similar to what was used on the Western frontier, but much more closely resembling the magistrate's fort used in the early part of _Braveheart. _The entrance, concealed by the trees, zig-zagged to prevent a horse or soldiers from charging the gate with any effect. Sharpened spears would slow an attack to the sides.

"You indeed have a ranger's eyes," he said as she pointed out what she saw. "Few would have seen it until they were right on top of it, and then Eru help them. But there, there, in that place, lurk the men who attacked you and murdered your friend. …I think."

"And what is our plan, Ranger?" Bill, this time. He'd taken a liking to the dark girl with the odd voice, and was keen on helping her out.

"Everyone dismount," he said. "Gather 'round everyone." They did ask he asked. "Larick, tie up the horses, but loose enough to ensure a quick escape, just in case."

Saeredan addressed the men with the air of a seasoned commander. "There are fifteen of us, and the Valar know how many of them, so it's a good bet we're outnumbered. We're going to wait until darkness falls or until we see a raiding party leave. Larick, good, you're back. Take six men, and what I want you to do is station yourself behind cover – but be sure to get far enough away from the entrance that they don't raise any alarms. After you've dispatched any raiders, circle around to the back and cut off any escape attempts."

Larick nodded.

"As for the rest of you, stick close to me. Those of you with bows; hit them first and be quick. Don't worry about finishing them off; the swordsmen will do that as soon as they go down."

And so they waited. Five minutes. Then ten. Then twenty. The sun was low in the western sky, it would be dark soon.

Two figures left the thieves camp, followed by another. Then two more, then four, then one more. Then three.

"…I think…that's it."

"I counted thirteen," said Bill. "Larick and his boys can't handle all that!"

"No, you're right. Change of plans, follow me – and them."

The eight followed the group of bandits, hoping that Larick would spring the trap _before _they…

"Now!"

All _right_ Larick! thought Katie as the battle was engaged.

_Ok, take the archers, get them out of the way, one down. Next one, dammit missed, load and fire, got the knee, oh crap – dodge_ (zzzzzzip). _Fire! Yes!_ Shit!

Again Katie managed to jump out of the way as a sword slashed at her midsection. She responded with an arrow to his face that she then flipped into the bowstring and shot directly into his throat.

_Always wanted to do that._

"RAID! RAIIIIIIDDDDD!"

Ohhhh, _hell!_

They didn't know how long it would take till the hillside would be flooded with brigands. Katie fired at any bandit she saw, no more than two arrows. Most hit, but a few missed, her mistakes were covered by the men wielding swords.

Larick, and another man, Joseph had fallen.

"Here they come!"

From being up 15 to 13, they all now realized that the enemy had a three to one advantage; at least twenty-five brigands were now heading down the hill towards them.

_Fire, fire, fire, good, good, darn, fire, fire, good, GREAT, fire, fire, f-…oh crap, I'm out of ar-rows!_

And so the worst fencer in the history of Georgetown University took out her sword and her hunting knife and charged.

The other side still had an archer. Katie saw two of her allies go down.

With Bill on her left, and a young man, still in high school if Bree had one, on her right she headed directly into the mass of bandits. Her sword batted away a sword thrusting at her, and stuck her hunting knife into the stomach of one enemy. Bill took the arm off one, the leg off another, and slashed the stomach of a third.

Regardless of the opening, that's never a pleasant smell.

Katie felt a dagger plunge deeply into her side, nicking her lowest right rib. Saeredan beheaded the offender. Thanks, she thought. But I coulda gotten him.

By now, the brigands were realizing that their enemy, though outnumbered, was considerably more skillful. A few ran, only to be cut down from behind. Katie slashed at another brigand. Oh, she recognized this one; he was the one pretending to push the cart back over. She ran him through with her sword.

Moments later, the remaining brigands, about six of them, dropped their weapons.

"Mercy! We yield! We yield!"

Of the fifteen that had made up her own party, only nine remained.

"How many of there are you altogether," demanded Saeredan.

"We number six and forty!"

After a brief head count, they realized that they had fought thirty-eight, leaving eight unaccounted for.

"I'm giving you two choices. Either you call out the rest to surrender, or this camp goes up in flames with your comrades inside it." Saeredan turned to Bill. "Bind them."

Katie was taking deep breaths; the dagger had pierced her armor at the seam. Damn.

She'd had worse.

When called, six exited. They were quickly bound and gagged.

"Kathryn, are you all right?"

"I got a dagger in the side, Saer, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Brave lass. Do you recognize any of these men?"

"I know that I killed one of the offenders today…wait…he's one." Katie noticed one familiar face grinning at her. She smashed a leather gauntlet into it, and it grinned no more. "And this one, he was the leader. He murdered Denise."

"Very well." The ranger took out his knife and cut an X into each of the brigand's foreheads.

"So that's four of the six, two remain."

"No, just one, I got their archer before I ran."

"Saeredan, excuse me, what are we to do with the bandit camp?" asked the young boy who'd been beside Katie?"

"Burn it to the ground."


	6. Chapter 6

**(Author's note – After a long period of indecision of where I wanted to go with this, I think I have at last fleshed out the majority of the plot. It will be a bit different, I assure you. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.)**

In actuality, the command "Burn it to the ground" included the statement "after we have checked the place for anything of value." They uncovered the loot from several seasons of highway robbery and more importantly found more than enough horses and carts to transport the captured prisoners back to Bree town.

Rather than waste the night camping, the party decided to start back nearly immediately. The six fellowship members lost in the fight were wrapped in sheets and loaded onto one of the two carts; the prisoners were ordered to bury their dead where they laid.

Saeredan looked at the fading quarter moon and decided to make the trek back to Bree straight away instead of wasting the night camping. Guards were set to ensure that the prisoners remained on their best behavior, and with a single order from Saeredan, the party started back.

Katie had been riding quietly when she heard the command from Saeredan: "Ride with me, Kathryn!" She did as requested, and was soon riding with the Ranger.

"How are your wounds?"

Katie shrugged. The only significant wound she received was the blade of a dagger to her right side. It itched and throbbed a bit, but she didn't feel any weakness from it. Her upper bicep, where the first arrow had hit her, didn't even hurt anymore.

"I'm fine, Saeredan…"

"You did well back there, young lady. But I take it that you shall be heading back as soon as this lot is sorted out?"

Katie considered this. There was no going back for her, not to Cornell, and therefore not at all. There would be far too many questions to answer now, both from the civilian and military authorities.

"I wouldn't mind going back, Saeredan, but in truth, I am here to pass on a message to Rivendell." She lowered her voice as much as she could while remaining audible. "Strider would also want to know."

Saeredan raised his eyebrows at this. He knew that something was brewing, but could not guess at the nature of what it was, and for this alien girl to know of Strider, that was uncanny. "Then you'll be wanting to be heading off to Imladris straight away, I presume?"

"If that would be possible, yes. I mean, I am trained in the common law, if you need me to testify in court, I can – but I would prefer to be in…Imladris before the 25th of this month if possible."

Saeredan considered the possibilities. "I have a room at the Prancing Pony Inn. We should discuss that there."

It was still dark when they entered the Bree west gate. Bree was better kept than she expected, the streets were of flagstone, not dirt or mud. They continued up the hill.

"There's the Prancing Pony, but we shall go all the way through town to the jail." They reached the summit of the hill where the Prancing Pony stood, then continued down into the center of the town, passing the town hall, and finally came to a stop at a large, grayish building.

"All right lads and ladies," said Saeredan. "Welcome to your new home, and I hope you enjoy the accommodations." He turned to Katie with a raised eyebrow. "Ready to see the workings of Breeland justice?"

After identifying themselves and their prisoners, the members of the fellowship escorted their captives into the jail.

The jailer, a curmudgeonly, beefy man, asked Saeredan where they were taken. "We found their base about fifteen leagues west of Bree. This young woman and her friend were the ones assaulted a few days ago; her friend lost her life in the attack."

The jailer nodded. "We'll have to rustle up the magistrate to make it official. Can the lady read and write?"

"I can read and write English. I don't know about your documents though."

"Hmmph." The jailer retreated and returned, carrying a sheaf of parchment. "Take a look at this then," he said as he handed her the papers.

Apparently her mind had been changed enough in the transfer that she was fully capable of understanding the Tengwar lettering. She wondered if she could do that with Elvish or Dwarvish or just the common tongue. "Yes," she smiled back at him. "Yes I can read that fluently."

"Good. Go ahead and write out what happened to you and your friend that night, you can have a seat at my desk. This will be your official complaint and statement to the magistrate, I'm sure you understand that the penalties for perjury are severe…"

Katie sat at the desk and wrote a description, as detailed as possible, of what happened that night with the brigands. So not only could she read Westron, she could write it as fluently as English. She signed her name as "Capt. Kathryn Sarkissian" and handed in the two sheets of parchment.

"Will that be all?"

"Not quite. Ranger, you'll be available for the magistrate, won't you?" With Saeredan's assent, the jailer asked Katie to come to the cells and point out the men that were involved in the attack.

"All right you lot! Stand up against the wall, Miss Kathryn is going to tell me which ones of you she had seen before!" The brigands staggered to their feet. "Whenever you're ready."

Katie looked closely. There had been six in the attack. One she had killed that night. Two died in the raid they had just finished, one by her own sword. Two had been captured and one was unaccounted for. She soon saw what she was looking for, two men with bloody X's cut into their foreheads.

"Thank you for your assistance Miss Kathryn, you've been a great help."

"You're welcome. Er, what will happen to them?"

"That's up to the judge, but I reckon that most of the ones you captured will spend the better part of their lives doing manual labor. The two you pointed out, they'll probably be hanged."

_And one is still at large. Nothing for it though, I have to get on to Rivendell._ By now, the first shades of the early dawn were appearing in the lumpy glass making up the windows.

"Kathryn, you can head on back to the Prancing Pony." Saeredan took a piece of parchment and scribbled a few notes on it. "Just hand this to the innkeeper, one Barliman Butterbur, he'll be happy to get you sorted out." He withdrew a small pouch and handed it to her with a warm smile. "For breakfast, and whatever incidentals you may need. I suggest you seek out the apothecary, you don't want that wound becoming septic."

Katie therefore took her leave from the jail, grabbed her horse and headed back up the way she came. Physically she felt fine, it was as if she had just woken up rather than had been in the wilds traveling for the past eighteen hours. Just the same, she looked for an apothecary shop for appropriate treatment - no point in pushing her luck.

The apothecary shop was in the town center, just north of the Town Hall, and across what appeared to be the artisans' guilds. A quietly cheerful middle-aged woman greeted her as she entered.

"Good evening, dear. Were you looking for something in particular?"

"I think so, ma'am. Have you anything that is suitable for a knife wound?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "How deep is the wound?"

"I'm not entirely sure. The blade was a good seven or eight inches, but I think it must have only gotten me by about two – strange, I remember it going in pretty deeply. I was armored like I am now." Katie showed her the damaged leather armor. "The thing is, it happened over twelve hours ago, and I feel fine."

"I'd like to take a closer look at that, Miss…"

"Captain, actually. But please call me Katie." Katie unbuckled the armor and presented herself. Anne examined the wound closely.

"This is quite odd indeed, Katie…" Anne took a closer look at the armor. The hole it left was easily an inch wide…the wound in Katie's side was less than half that. "Did your attacker jiggle the knife at all?"

"I don't think so, I felt it go straight in and out, and then the Ranger dealt with him."

"I don't know what to say then, Captain. In any case, I am glad you came to me. I am going to bathe the wound with an infusion of Athelas; that will prevent any infection. If you feel weak or lightheaded, come and see me. That will be…three hundred and ten silver."

Katie paid, collected her change, and then continued up to the inn.

After a brief search, she located Barliman Butterbur, finally someone that she recognized from the movies. Like many people, Katie never read the Lord of the Rings books, but she was bright enough to know that the movies were nothing more than an interesting overview of the whole story. She had read the Hobbit more than once though, and strove to remember as much as she could.

In any case, she found Butterbur to be just as avuncular as his character had been in the movies.

"The ranger Saeredan gave me this; he told me you would have some idea of what to do?"

"Ahhh, yes my dear woman. Would this be in reference to his fellow ranger, Strider?"

"No sir. However, I believe he has taken leave some time ago in the company of four hobbits. There was some disturbing activity involving them if my understanding is true."

"There certainly was," he replied indignantly. "Not that it was their fault, but their pursuers were not too careful about what or whom they damaged." He raised his bushy brows. "I rather like your manner of speech, but it is…queer. Where do you hail from – and how did you come to know of what happened just a month ago?"

Katie shrugged amiably. "I'm from a land far across the sea. Suffice it to say that my people are aware of a growing darkness to the southeast. I'm going to be departing for Rivendell tomorrow. But for now, I would be grateful for the best breakfast you can provide."

Katie sat silently in the dining area of the Prancing Pony and listened to the songs of minstrels as she enjoyed her roasted ham, eggs over easy, black bread and coffee. The music was mostly jigs and reels, very similar to the Celtic music she enjoyed on occasion.

She considered introducing herself and having a go at the lute, but before she could muster up the courage to do so, she was greeted by Saeredan, who escorted her upstairs.

"Tell me," he asked, "what do you know of our chieftain; Strider?"

_Did Saeredan know_, she wondered. "I just know that his true name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to Isildur and rightful king of Gondor." That was right, wasn't it? Her companion looked upon her questioningly. Maybe Saeredan did not, or perhaps he was merely holding his peace.

"And you wish to travel to Imladris to speak with him?"

"Among other reasons. One of these is to go in order to honor Denise's wish, she very much wanted to meet with or even simply to see Elrond." At this she smiled sheepishly. "I confess that I'm uncertain of the way to Rivendell. I only know to head east along the Great Road."

Saeredan chuckled at this. "Yes, that particular causeway will get you to the general area of Rivendell, but only to the Ford of Bruinen." He pulled out what appeared to be maps. Let me make sure you go in the right direction.

Katie departed later that morning, around eleven, she estimated. She would have preferred to have explored Bree more thoroughly, but she was quite delayed enough already. "With some hard riding," explained Saeredan, "you should arrive in Rivendell with time to spare – but you must make haste." She bid farewell to new friends and a solemn goodbye to an old one.

Katie rode through the East gate of Bree, then headed south riding through the village of Staddle, a tiny town mostly populated by hobbits, some of whom worked in Bree, but the majority tended their own farms of edible produce and pipeweed. Children waved happily at her. Travelers were common, but a solo woman rider, that was unusual.

As the farms and houses of Staddle faded behind her, she saw the mists of the Midgewater marshes arise. Never a fan of bugs, Katie waited until she was well clear of the Marshes before she camped for the night.

The 16th of October brought Katie past Weathertop, and it was just as ominous in full daylight as it was in the darkness of Peter Jackson's interpretation. Amon Sûl stood on the southernmost of the Weather hills forming an unofficial border between ancient Cardolan and Rhudaur. She would have liked to have looked closer, but if the map he had given to her was accurate, she was still less than a third of the way to her destination. Her horse was holding out well, she made sure to stop often enough for her to graze on the rough grasses, but Katie was worried about the apparent lack of water. She knew it was there, but Saeredan had warned her in no uncertain terms that to leave the sight of the road was almost certain death. Katie rode on; camping after Weathertop had faded in the mists.

October 18th. A dismal cloudy day, but the rain was a blessing just the same. She trotted on, her spirits were uplifted when she saw the stone sarches marking the Last Bridge. This bridge was the only crossing of the River Mitheithel into the Trollshaws. More relevant to Katie, it meant that she was within three days ride of Rivendell, but this would be the most hazardous part of her journey.

Katie hoped that she could avoid any conflicts, but around noon the next day, the road was blocked with what looked like two bears, but these bears were the size of buffalo, the classic bison of the American Western.

Fine, thought Katie. There is no way around, and I can't very well go back. Ignoring the sensible voice screaming in her head that this was suicide, she dismounted and tied her horse behind a tree. She strung her bow, tested it, then nocked an arrow.

Three things can happen girl, she thought as she pulled the string tightly. You're either going to scare them, kill them, or anger them. Make that six things, there are two of them. She loosed the arrow. It hit the smaller of them right in the center of the gut, but both of them rushed toward her with the obvious intention of expressing their extreme displeasure.

Katie breathed deeply, then fired a second arrow, this time at the larger, female bear. It went deep into the lady bear's chest, but the ursine was otherwise unaffected. A third arrow struck the smaller bear in the face. It howled and fell. Katie unsheathed her sword and swung it with both hands as the larger bear pounced. Her blade bit deeply into the animal, and Katie managed to slip under the bladelike claws.

Whatever damage she had done to the bear was enough to frighten the creature. It stumbled off into the woods.

"When I get to Rivendell," said Katie to her horse, "I'm going to have to corner one of the better hunters and have them teach me how to dress a bear for eating." As it was, the bear meat was tough and strong, similar in a lot of ways to the taste of pork.

Katie was nearly there. She crossed the Ford of Bruinen the following day, and began the climb through the high moorland. These were merely the foothills of the misty mountains, and they were rich with life – much of it not at all friendly. A few lynxes, wildcats who proved to be overly aggressive had to be chased off.

Late that evening, the land was too treacherous for her to bother setting up camp, even with a fire, she heard a most welcome sound shouting from the distance.

"Quel undome, mellon!" _"Good evening friend!"_

Katie hadn't any idea what was being said, but she recognized the language in any case.

"Uh, hello! Mae govannen?"

Light laughter followed. "Well met indeed. Come now, show yourself."

Katie dismounted and jogged towards the voices. Two slim figures were barely visible in the fading moonlight.

"More visitors? And I thought we'd seen everyone, Suiadan."

"Not likely, Veryan. But we forget our manners." The older of them, actually they appeared ageless inclined his head towards the new arrival. "Good evening, young woman, would you mind stating your business in Imladris?"


	7. Chapter 7

"My name is Kathryn Sarkissian. My business is an urgent meeting with Lord Elrond and Mithrandir."

Suiadan and Veryan exchanged glances. "Veryan will happily escort you to the house of Elrond if you wish. Are you expected?"

"I distinctly doubt it," admitted Katie. "But I promise you that the matter is of critical importance, I believe Lord Elrond will wish to speak of it in an upcoming council within a week."

"I…see. Please go with Veryan – just a minute…"

In the distance, Katie heard the sound of pounding hoof beats behind her. "Sounds like someone in a hurry," she noted.

"Definitely," agreed Suidan. "You could hear them?" Katie didn't know what to make of that comment, but she stood by to greet the newcomer. After about two minutes, the dark figure appeared in the night.

"Make way!" called out the rider. "The little one is fading!"

"Glorfindel!" called out Veryan.

"Frodo!" cried Katie and immediately explained. "Frodo's been stabbed by a Morgul blade!"

Suidan nodded to Veryan's unasked question, and Veryan took Katie and Bindi, with Katie seated behind him. "Hold tight!" he said shortly. Veryan maneuvered Bindi expertly down into the Elvish valley, negotiating the switchbacks and following Glorfindel with ease. Katie soon heard additional hoof beats behind her and she felt a pang of fear before she realized that it must be Frodo's companions.

If Bree was better than she expected, Rivendell, even without sunlight, was glorious. Expertly carved lamps provided illumination along the stone path. They crossed a bridge over the gorge carved by the Bruinen and continued up another hill, towards what appeared to be a massive mountain lodge combined with a 19th-century Floridian hotel.

"The Last Homely House, Lady Kathryn. Our destination and where Lord Elrond may be found." He tied up Bindi and escorted Katie through the door.

Glorfindel was standing in the entrance hall holding tightly onto Frodo. Katie walked up and stroked the hobbit's hair. He did look something like Elijah Wood, but his hair seemed to be more tightly curled. His breathing was labored but shallow and he was deathly pale. His eyelids rose slightly and closed.

"Fear not, Frodo, you shall live and be strong," she whispered. "Oh…sorry," she said apologetically to Glorfindel.

"Nonsense," said the tall elf with a grim smile. "This lad needs all the strength you can give him. Though you must tell me how you came to know him."

"I know him, Glorfindel. I am sure he does not know me. It will be explained in due time."

At that, the doors up on the second floor burst open and three figures emerged in a dead run. She didn't know the first two, but immediately recognized the slower one, wearing a grey robe and long white beard as Gandalf.

"Bring him to my quarters, Glorfindel!"

"At once, my lord!" Glorfindel ran to a pair of doors and Katie followed, passing the Elf and hobbit and opening the doors for them to pass – soon followed by the three hobbits and a tall dark bearded man that could only be Strider. Frodo was placed on the bed and lights were lit. Katie immediately opened the hobbit's shirt – and saw the Ring.

A bolt of fear, as if it were pure energy, coursed through her body from head to toe. She swooned for a moment…

"Whoa…" _Get it together, idiot! _She pulled the loose shirt down past his shoulder revealing the apparently healed wound the Nazgûl had inflicted, and then felt strong hands on her own shoulders gently pushing her aside. "Step aside good woman," ordered Elrond. The Half-Elven lord traced a finger over the white mark.

"Morgul blade at Weathertop," offered Katie, desperate both to help and allay any suspicion. She noticed Strider's eyes shoot up appraisingly.

Elrond nodded curtly. "_Athelas_, and plenty of it! Also my knives and forceps" he instructed the two assistants that had accompanied him. They departed.

Katie knelt down and brought out of her pack two of the bottles she had bought in Bree. "Kingsfoil infusion, sir, you'll need to open the wound, I suppose", she said as she handed them to Elrond. He took the bottles and doused Frodo's shoulder.

"Until my assistants return, there is nothing more to be done." He turned to Katie. "Well now, you have been helpful – and I must ask, who on earth _are_ you?"

"Who indeed", agreed Gandalf.

"My Lord Elrond…Gandalf, Kathryn Sarkissian at your service. Please call me 'Katie' if you wish – and I'm sure you'll have as many questions for me as I will have for you."

"Yessss," said Gandalf slowly. "Perhaps you can start by explaining how you know the nature of our friend's wound and where he received it."

"I saw it in a movie, Gandalf," she replied cheekily. "Where I come from," she explained, "a popular form of entertainment is to take a performance, record it on a medium called film, and show it to other people far away. It's fascinating technology. More to the point, the story of that hobbit and the _precioussss_ evil little ring he carries has been recorded in my history as fiction since before I was born."

This revelation staggered Maia, Man, Hobbits and Elf alike. "We shall…we shall speak more of this, Katie," said Elrond as his assistants entered the room. "For now, let us ensure that Frodo will hear it as well."

"Can I offer any assistance?"

"Not unless you have a bit of magic about you, Kathryn. Gandalf, please introduce our new friends to my staff, and ensure that they have appropriate quarters. I shall see to it that her faith in my abilities as a healer is justified."

The six walked together. "I wish I could have helped more," confessed Katie to Gandalf, "but until a few days ago I never even believed in magic."

"That is understandable. It is not a common experience in the world."

"It's a _non-existent_ experience in my world. Or I thought it was until several days ago."

Gandalf would have like to have heard more right then, but the night was well-advanced, and Katie confessed to being tired. It was agreed that they should speak about Katie's experience and knowledge at breakfast the following day. Gandalf introduced them all to Aravae, a pleasant woman who escorted them to their new quarters.

Katie awoke early the next morning, grabbed her bow and got up for an early walk. After all those hours on horseback, it was a pleasure to rely on her own two feet for a change. "I'm going to be feeling Bindi on my butt for the next week," she muttered to herself. She left Elrond's home and headed further into Rivendell, first walking, then a light jog that evolved into a near-sprint. It wasn't long before she had found what she'd been looking for; a group of archery targets.

Kathryn had reached the point where she could hit anything she aimed at, but she wanted to hone her skill at shooting accurately with speed. She distanced herself about 30 yards away, and started training, first stationary, then walking back and forth, quickly shooting as she did so. A few shots were off the mark, but she was on target most of the time. She became aware of approaching footsteps, footsteps that stopped a few feet behind her. She loosed her last arrow and turned behind her.

"That is quite impressive," said the elf. "You have been using the bow for some time?"

"Not really," she answered as she began recovering the arrows. "I suppose I just have a knack for it."

"A fine display of skill nevertheless. If you have the time, you should drop by again, there a few young elves that would be impressed with what a woman can do with a bow."

"I'd like that," she smiled. Katie looked up at the bright pink flowing over the mountains to the east. "I'd also like to improve my skills with the sword and knife – but for now I had better get back to lord Elrond's home."

Upon arriving, she was immediately directed to what was called the Hall of Fire. "They were wondering where you had gone off too," she was told. Katie entered the Hall to find Gandalf, Strider, Sam, Merry, Pippin and an older hobbit chatting quietly as they sipped tea and coffee. Pip, upon seeing her, offered her a seat next to him.

"So Don, Burt, and William remain where they left them, eh? I wonder if they remain aware of anything."

"Mr. Baggins?" The hobbit looked at her with friendly eyes. "You must be Miss Katie, we'd been waiting."

"I heard. Sorry about that, I wanted to get in a bit of exercise and archery before breakfast."

"Good," said Gandalf. "So now that we are here and rested, save Elrond, you can tell us a bit more about yourself and what brings you to Imladris."

"I will need to speak with you privately about some of the things I know, Gandalf, but I see no reason not to tell all of you the bulk of it. Again, my name is Katie Sarkissian. I am a captain in my country's military, but most of my training has been in maintaining good relations between the military and the civilian population. Just before we came, my friend Denise and I were training in law, the legal system is very important to my people."

"What brought you here, Kathryn?' asked Strider.

"Denise had found an old spellbook at a used bookshop. I don't know how long she had it, but she wanted to try one of the spells. We tried two spells. One didn't work; the second brought us to Bywater."

"How very _foolish_!" snapped Gandalf. "What was the other spell?"

"We didn't expect it to work, but, uh, heh-heh it was to turn us into werewolves."

"Werewolves? I can't imagine such a thing would be possible, they are fallen Maiar, or souls of the orcs. And why would you even try such a thing, you fool?" Gandalf was obviously astounded and irritated. Katie smacked her hand on the table

"Do not call me a fool, wizard! Denise and I wound up in Bywater dammit, _not _the nosebleed seats of Orthanc! As to why we tried, it we were pretty much trying to prove that it was nonsense. The first one was, the second – well, here I am."

"Where is Denise?"

"Oh Sam, she _so_ would have loved to have met you all! I'm afraid it was bandits, we…she was killed just a few hours east of Buckland. She wanted to witness the Council of Elrond; it's partially to honor her that I am here. Also I wanted to offer whatever help I can." She took a deep breath and let out a shuddering sigh. "And I don't think I can ever go back to Cornell with her gone...too many questions I couldn't possibly answer."

The table fell silent and Katie felt no lack of sympathy from her companions.

"Could you go back if you didn't fear those questions?"

"I think I could, Gandalf, it's just a matter of being at the right place at the right time. For now anyway, I shall make the road ahead of Middle-Earth as painless as I can, based on what I know."

"What do you know of our story so far?"

"I suppose it starts with Sauron forging the nineteen rings of power and then the One Ring. It was the ring that was taken by Isildur – who perished. The ring then came to Deagol, who Smeagol then murdered and took the ring for himself and then became Gollum. The ring abandoned Gollum, hoping that one of the orcs would find it but it was picked up instead by…" At this, she lifted up both hands to indicate Bilbo Baggins.

"With the ring, Bilbo was able to sneak in to confront the dragon Smaug. Following the Battle of the Five Armies, he returned home to Bag End and lived happily until his one hundred and eleventh birthday whereupon he passed the ring and everything else onto his adopted nephew Frodo.

Katie continued the story, explaining that she had seen the movies, but acknowledged and explained why films had to cut out several important parts.

"Just the shear amount of work done by Tolkien, there had to be some careful editing done."

"And yet," said Aragorn, "here you are in what less than a fortnight ago, you considered to be fiction."

"That's true," she agreed. "Yet you, me, and all of us are real flesh and blood. Either that or some sick sociopath is amusing herself at my expense. In any case, the choice of what to do with the ring will be made in a few days. And on that note, I shall conclude my story; there are things I _must_ discuss privately with Elrond and Gandalf."

That being said, they did their best to enjoy breakfast, most of it was talk about what was happening in the Shire and the north, where Aragon's rangers were already dealing with sporadic attacks from Angmar. Gandalf stood and excused himself, and asked Katie to accompany him.

"How is Frodo, my friend?" Gandalf asked as they entered Elrond's quarters.

"The best I can say is that it is uncertain." Elrond motioned Gandalf and Katie over to the bed where Frodo lay. The hobbit's shoulder had been bandaged, and there were a few bloodstains on the sheets. "I removed a splinter of the Nazgûl blade, but I'm not sure that I removed it all. If even a fragment reaches the boy's heart…but he's already lost a significant amount of blood. We shall try again in a few days"

"If loss of blood is a concern, he's welcome to have a pint or two of mine." Katie explained the essentials of blood transfusion.

"It's a noble sentiment, Lady Kathryn, but we don't have the type of equipment it sounds like we would need. For the time being, we'll have to place our trust in more primitive means," answered Elrond. He regarded Katie and Gandalf. "You had something more to tell me?"

"Both you and Gandalf. I know there will be a council in four days, and I explained to Gandalf how I came to be here and what has happened so far." Katie repeated what she told Gandalf.

"But beyond that," she continued, "there are some things you must know. The first is that Gandalf falls in Moria, fighting a Balrog. _You come back though! _Gandalf replaces Saruman as The White…"

The two men breathed deeply at this.

"Secondly, you will hear that Gollum has escaped Mirkwood. He will follow the fellowship through Moria and along the river. He will eventually find the Ringbearer and join him."

"In what direction is the Ring going?"

"The decision will be to cast the ring into Mount Doom. One person will volunteer to take the ring – but in the end, he fails and claims the ring for himself. It is only because of Gollum's desire for the ring that the ring is destroyed along with Gollum."

"So," said Elrond calmly. "The ring must be destroyed…and apart from an outside factor, the one carrying it fails anyway – we face a dire situation"

"That is ultimately successful," interrupted Gandalf. "I had suspected that Gollum was spared for a reasons unknown to us, though I don't cherish the thought of relying on him."

"There is much to consider. Kathryn, this information is invaluable, as I'm sure you suspected. You have our thanks, and of course we insist upon your presence at the Council, but we must hear from all interested parties – present and future."

"Of course, my lord. And of course what I have said shall not be repeated elsewhere. Have you any suggestions on how I can further help you?"

"Familiarize yourself with Middle Earth," said Gandalf "there are a great number of books on Arda's history written in Westron, but many of your hosts can offer you first-hand knowledge. And of course, you will want to practice your skills with blade and bow."

Over the next three days, Katie followed Gandalf's instructions closely, learning, practicing, and speaking. Bilbo's story was repeated and etched in her memory, along with everything from the creation of Eä onward. _Oh Denise, you would have loved this_ she found herself thinking daily.

On a more physical note, Katie's muscle memory was astounding. She, who had been so clumsy with a foil and épée before her arrival, discovered that she was more dexterous dual-wielding with dagger and broadsword than most men were bearing only a sword. She received her share of cuts and bruises, but whatever was in the water of Rivendell ensured that they cleared up within a day or two. She still compared unfavorably with the most experienced elves using a bow, but her accuracy and speed was the talk of Imladris.

Familiar faces began arriving. Legolas arrived from Mirkwood, and reminded Katie not of Orlando Bloom, but, to her considerable disappointment, of Leonardo DiCaprio. Had her knowledge of American football – or floral arrangements – been more intense, she might have said that Boromir looked a great deal like Merlin Olsen if a bit darker. Gimli and Gloin, she was pleasantly surprised to see, were near perfect representations of the Jackson actors.

On the 24th, Frodo awakened as expected. There had been another surgery performed on his shoulder that extracted the last fragment of the Morgul knife. The improvement was rapid and noticeable. Katie greeted him warmly, even embraced him, but as she did so a pang of anxiety coursed through her, she felt somewhat off. She shook the feeling and allowed Sam and Gandalf to introduce her.

October 25th dawned and shortly after breakfast, the warning bell sounded to let them know the council was to begin. Kathryn found herself sitting between Legolas and one of Boromir's men.

"My dear friends, old and new" said Elrond by way of opening, "we face a challenge the likes of which has not been seen since the last battle against the forces of darkness…"

Elrond's words, followed by those of Gloin, Boromir, and Aragorn held her in rapt attention.

"Bring out the Ring, Frodo!" intoned Gandalf. "The time has come."

Katie knew not what the others felt, but the small golden circle drew her in, a strange sensation of warmth flowed over her. Not a fool, she noted this sensation, and realized that the Ring was attempting to draw in everyone. She had wondered if she would have been affected, not being from the Middle Earth, and the silliness of such a notion had been dispelled from the moment she had laid eyes on it, on a chain around Frodo's neck. A quick examination of the others proved that she was not the only one so affected.

The balance of the discussion turned to establishing in fact that this was indeed the one ring of Sauron, and eventually to whether it was to be hidden or destroyed. Hiding or fleeing was discarded in short order, and soon the discussion was narrowed down to the most efficacious means of destroying it, and the notion was quickly seen by most as folly.

At last Elrond held up his hands.

"Gentlemen, we have been discussing this at length, and Master Bilbo is quite hungry if my guess isn't off."

General laughter.

"You may have noticed the young woman seated next to Prince Legolas, and wonder on what account she has been invited to this discussion of ours. Lady Kathryn, please introduce herself."

Katie did as she was asked, then performed the duties of her old job. She introduced herself and explained exactly where she was from.

"Gentleman, I realize that this is a great shock to you, it certainly was to me when I found myself on the lawn of the _Green Dragon. _The future I experience, should we succeed is by no means perfect, we have our problems, but it will be infinitely brighter than if we fail at the task before us."

Over the course of about twenty minutes, she summarized the history of Earth from Mesopotamia to modern times, hitting such highlights as the Greek and Roman Empire, the Medieval periods, the Renaissance, the Victorian and Edwardian eras and the Modern world as she remembered it.

"My friends," she concluded, "the future as I know it assumes that you will be successful. My being here can be taken as conclusive evidence that our task will not fail, because…_it didn't_. Thank you for your kind attention.

This presentation appeared to molify the attendees in no small measure. She found herself greeted with warm smiles from both Gandalf and Elron. Legolas greeted her warmly, taking both of her hands in his and guiding her to her seat.

With the noon bell having rung, and with the Council heartened but uncertain of the next step, Katie waited for the inevitable.

"I will take the Ring," said Frodo, "though I do not know the way."

It was all she could do to keep from bursting out in laughter when Sam made his appearance known.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Again, I hope all of you are enjoying this story as much as I am writing it. For those of you trying to imagine Katie's appearance, if imagine a picture of either a young Dorothy Hamill or **_**possibly**_** a much much shorter version of Kate Bracken from Being Human, you'd not be too far off. For Denise, may she rest peacefully, her actress would be, without a second thought, Annasophia Robb**.

As expected, Samwise Gamgee was immediately assigned to accompany Frodo to Mordor. Katie was not at all sure what, if any, place she would be given either as members of the Ring Fellowship or as a support role. She hoped that she had made enough of an impression not to be left behind entirely.

The council was not _quite_ over, as it turned out. "Whatever route is decided to be the best for Frodo and Sam, no steps can be taken on it until we know the fate of the nine riders," declared Elrond. "We shall send scouts along the banks of the Bruinen to determine this as well as can be managed."

"What about the creature, Gollum?" asked Legolas. "I realize that the lady said that he would prove invaluable, but do we want our future resting on his actions?"

"We will try to locate him," said Elrond. "I'm undecided whether to attempt to recapture him or to allow him to move freely under supervision, though I am leaning towards the latter option. The most crucial task is to discover the fate of the Black Riders."

"Since the riders are, I suppose 'spiritual' is the right word, how great a threat will they pose to Frodo," asked Katie. "In the movie at least, they are shown searching for him on dragons over the Dead Marshes, and again in a ruined city within sight of Mordor."

"Unhorsed, they are not a serious threat, except to those who happen across them. Nevertheless, we must be sure. Kathryn, you have lead men in the past?"

"Yes milord."

"Then," he said with a smile "you shall again. Four pairs of eyes should be enough. I want you to take a small party of men – elf, dwarf, man, and hobbit if possible – down to the Bruinen and along its banks. Go as far south as the ruins of Tharbad, and then return to me."

Fantastic, thought Katie and in her mind, she began assembling her team. "I'll take care of that as soon as possible, Lord Elrond. Have you any suggestions on whom I shall take?"

"That's what I meant," said Pippin. "We hobbits ought to stick together and we will. I shall go, unless they chain me up. There must be someone with intelligence in the party."

"Then you certainly will not be chosen, Peregrin Took!" said Gandalf.

"Maybe not for that party, Gandalf," interrupted Katie. "But I'd sure like him in mine."

"Kathryn!" exclaimed all but Gandalf.

"Before Sam and Frodo take that damned ring any further, we need to make sure that he won't be harassed any more than is necessary by those black riders. Pip, I have a spot for you, one hobbit only, and we're going to be checking the banks of the Bruinen to Tharbad."

"Well, I…"

"Oh for goodness sake, go with her, Pippin!" said Bilbo. "I can't imagine that it would take all that long, and the experience would do you good."

"Very true, Bilbo," agreed Gandalf. "On both counts. And we cannot start until we are sure about the Nazgûl."

"I thought they were all destroyed in the flood," said Merry.

"You cannot destroy Ringwraiths like that," and Gandalf explained that the Nine's power came directly through Sauron.

"Pippin did say something in which I am in full agreement: Someone of intelligence should be included in the party. I think I shall come with you."

_He knows what will happen to him, and yet he comes just the same, _thought Katie in admiration. "And what of you, Pip," she asked. "Are you ready to head south?"

Pippin inclined his head. "Hmm, now let me think about…yes!"

"Excellent. Now let's see if we can find a dwarf and an elf to round out our jolly band."

"Wait," said Frodo, "so you are leaving straight away?"

"As soon as we can, hon." She placed her hand on his. "The longer you have that ring, the more dangerous it becomes, and the longer we wait…the longer you'll have that ring."

A young elf by the name of Fëanor was her first prospect on Elrond's suggestion. Like every elf she had seen, he was devastatingly handsome, but at a little over two hundred years old, he was still a teenager by elf standards.

"Father," he said in Sindarin, "I know I have much to learn, but she is mortal. And a female leading the _edhel_? Absurd!

"Now none of that, Fëanor," said the boy's father. "This woman is well-capable, and more than a match for any you might encounter. Besides, you have oftentimes expressed your desire to explore the south, here now is your chance."

All of this was lost on Katie, who had mastered only a few words and phrases since the time she arrived. She played it up a bit.

"Ah, never mind, _mellon", _she said. "He is obviously too young for my purposes and won't likely respond to my orders. I don't expect too much trouble along the way, but if there was a problem, he'd probably get himself killed." Winking to the father, she turned to the boy, gently squeezing his upper arm. "It was nice meeting you Fëanor, but you'll need to grow up a bit before I can use you."

"Yes, I'm afraid so," his father agreed. "It most likely is for the best. You may wish to speak with Caefir. He is more used to exploring the local Misty Mountains, but he is brilliant with the bow."

"Uh…now, I'm not a fool," said Fëanor. "I know exactly what you're doing – you're trying to convince to come with you by acting like you don't want me coming with you."

Katie turned her head slightly to look back at him, and then shook his father's hand. "Thanks for the tip. I'll see if I can find him." She tuned and walked down the hill

Katie decided that Gimli and Gloin weren't really appropriate for the task, but she wanted someone with a bit more experience –

"Wait! I will come with you!"

"_Why?_" Her word came quick and hard.

"I…" he hesitated now, "I think I can be a great help. My eyes are fine; I can help you find what you are looking for."

"Oh you have good eyes, do you? Pretty much every elf does," she said dismissively. "Where I come from, mortal man can destroy an enemy from twenty leagues away with regularity. What we can do when things get…_intense_…will make you hair curl and your stomach turn."

The young elf swallowed, this was unexpected. "But…you're not where you're from now. I can still help." The dark woman's eyes flashed at him.

"First of all, Fëanor, I don't appreciate your attitude. Secondly, the only reason I sought you out was at the suggestion of Lord Elrond. So on that basis; are you going to accept my direction?"

"Yes…um…Captain."

"You can call me 'Katie,' Fëanor. As long as you do as you're told, I really don't give a damn. All right then, we have one team member to collect, and hopefully we'll be on the High Moor before nightfall."

He was not Gimli or Gloin, but a dwarf that Katie had not met or heard of before.

"Darvi Thodan at your service and your family's." Darvi seemed to be in his late thirties, with reddish-brown hair and a relatively short beard for a dwarf, though obviously, he was much older.

"Darvi, do you have much experience with this type of work?"

"What, scouting? Can't say as I have, but I've been trained with sword and axe since I was a wee pup!" It was hard to place his accent, some Scottish, some Scandinavian, if there was an island in the Atlantic equidistant between Scotland, Norway and Iceland, you wouldn't be too far off.

"I've got a young elf and a slightly goofy Halfling in tow with me. Can I count on you as my second?"

"A young elf? Hah-hah! Yah, I can do that!"

That was good enough for Katie. Katie dismissed her men and told them where to meet. Elrond had told her that time was a consideration, and even though the moon would be getting brighter as the days went on, she preferred to conduct this mission during the daytime as much as possible. Not tonight though, they would start the next day on the banks of the Bruinen if she had anything to say about it.

"Bindi…Bindi, calm down, what's the matter gorgeous?" Katie had gone back to the stables to fetch her horse, but the bay had whinnied and backed away from her. "What, did you feel left out while I was meeting everyone? I'm sorry." Bindi snorted, and then _carefully _munched the carrot she offered in her hand.

With the afternoon passing and with the arrival of evening, the four assembled at Rivendell's easternmost bridge. Katie and Fëanor rode horses, while Darvi and Pip were on ponies.

"We don't have too much of a ride before us tonight, guys. We're just going to head down to the Ford, make camp, and get an early start tomorrow. Sooner we do that, sooner we can relax. And I, for one, am in the mood for some freshly-cooked trout! _HYAHH!"_ And with that, she and Bindi bolted across the bridge towards the moor.

"C'mon lads! Time's wastin'!" and Darvi smacked the rumps of Pip's and Fëanor's, mounts and began following the leader.

It took five hours of hard riding to make it to the Ford. Darkness had fallen halfway through the ride down, and with the path difficult to find in broad daylight, Katie was thankful that with elf and dwarf, they were able to get down the path safely.

The company set up camp just a few yards south of the Ford on raised patch of ground. Pippin fashioned some fishing poles while Fëanor expertly constructed a fire. Darvi and Katie contemplated the map.

"We'll want to be straddling both sides of the river, Darvi. How about you and Fëanor ride closest to the mountains and Pippen and I will ride on the far bank?"

"Yah, that's good."

"No dwarf versus elf nonsense, right?"

"Heh, not much. Rumors of our mutual discontent have been greatly overstated, lass. But there is no denying that there has been some tension. It shall be as you wish."

They spent the rest of the evening fishing. It was harder than she'd remembered, but then again Katie was far removed from her graphite rod and baitcasting reel. Just worms on a hook on a string tied to a pole. They still managed to net six fish – brown trout by the looks of them – and with a bit of seasoning they made a delicious dinner.

Their mission began in earnest the following morning. Katie saw little point in riding, the horses and ponies would be a great boon on the return journey, but for now they were concentrating on finding evidence of the riders. For the first half hour, they walked and searched in silence, but they soon realized that what they were looking for would be hard to miss once they came across it.

"Hey Pip…?"

"Mmmm, yes?"

"Tell me about what you did before you got all involved in this."

"Oh t'was not much. Mostly just running around with Merry. I'm only twenty-nine and, well my family is pretty well off, so there's no real pressure."

"I can imagine. Denise wasn't wealthy, but she didn't have a lot of concerns about bills either. Me, well, I'm lucky that I managed an ROTC scholarship my last two years." Seeing Pippins confusion, she explained as well as she could the intricacies of how the American education system worked.

Pip was shocked. "All that work. But you had work afterwards?"

"Aye, well, even after graduating I had a few weeks of schooling. Then I found out I'm going to a place called Afghanistan. It's a place that is a bit like Harad, but there are a few more mountains."

"Deserts and mountains? Sounds like rough country!" This shout was from Fëanor, and Katie had to agree.

"That it was! But they were good people over there – for the most part!"

"Before we speak any more of this, shouldn't we take a look at _that_?" Darvi pointed to a black mass that was bobbing in a notch.

"That's a horse! All right Darvi!" The water had protected most of it, but a few flies were buzzing about it."

"Any sign of a cloak?" A brief search of the immediate area revealed nothing, and then Fëanor leaped into the water.

Great. "Any idea how deep the water is? Or how fast?"

"I think ye'd have t'ask the person underneath it," said Pippin.

After about two minutes, Fëanor's hands broke the surface, a black cloth clutched tightly in it. Katie's initial thought was to chide him, but hey, there was no arguing with results.

"Score one fer the elves and dwarves!" exclaimed Darvi.

"All right then," said Katie. "First team to get five cloaks gets two pints of ale at the expense of the team that gets four. Horsies don't count!" She turned to Pip. "We need to catch up to them, so keep a sharp eye out, aye?"

"Aye!"

At that point, at that announcement Darvi opened his mouth in song.

_Along loudwater Bruinen, four races seek their goal_

_To ruined cities far away, where nightmares always stroll_

_Led by the fairest Captain that the land has ever seen_

_We bring the war to dark Mordor, then turn the plains to green_

_A hobbit in his tweens rides with the woman and her bow_

_And on the other side of course, elf and dwarf magics glow_

_Ride 'long the river through November into winter snow_

_And back again to a new quest, Sauron to overthrow*_

Really, really, _bad_ song.

"Ay Cap'n! Tis your turn now. Show us primitives how they sing in the new world!"

Oh man, she thought. Now, naturally, both Pip and Feanor joined in the pleas for her to expose her singing voice for what it is. Of course she had to. She considered singing _I'm a Lumberback and I'm Okay, _but given the obvious, what would be the point?

All right then, boys, you asked for it. Katie responded with a fairly strong mezzo-soprano…

_On the road of experience, I'm trying to find my own way._

_Sometimes I wish that I could fly away._

_When I think that I'm moving, suddenly things stand still._

_I'm afraid cause I think they always will._

_And I'm looking for space _

_And to find out who I am, _

_And I'm looking to know and understand._

_It's a sweet, sweet dream, sometimes I'm almost there._

_Sometimes I fly like an eagle and sometimes I'm deep in despair._

_All alone in the universe, sometimes that's how it seems._

_I get lost in the sadness and the screams._

_Then I look in the center and suddenly everything's clear._

_I find myself in the sunshine and my dreams_

_And I'm looking for space _

_And to find out who I am, _

_And I'm looking to know and understand._

_It's a sweet, sweet dream, sometimes I'm almost there._

_Sometimes I fly like an eagle and sometimes I'm deep in despair._

_On the road of experience, join in the living day._

_If there's an answer it's just that it's just that way,_

_When you're looking for space and to find out who you are._

_When you're looking to try and reach the stars._

_It's a sweet, sweet dream, sometimes I'm almost there._

_Sometimes I fly like an eagle and sometimes I'm deep in despair._

_On the road of experience, join in the living day_

_if there's an answer, it's just that it's just that way_

_When you're looking for space_

_And to find out who you are_

_When you're looking to try and reach the stars_

_It's a sweet, sweet sweet dream_

_Sometimes I'm almost there_

_Sometimes I fly like an eagle_

_But sometimes I'm deep in despair_

_Sometimes I fly like an eagle,_

_Like an eagle…_

_I go flying….high!*_

Katie had learned out all about the exploits of Air Force pilot, Lt. Colonel "Dutch" Deutschendorf at the USAF Museum, and from that the music of his famous son. Her new friends were quite impressed.

"Now I wish we brought some instruments," moaned Pippin. At this, Fëanor and Darvi both laughed and pulled out a couple of flutes. Darvi had a spare and tossed one over to Pip, who immediately began playing a reel that sounded surprisingly like _The Lark in the Morning._

And that was how Katie, Pip, Fëanor, and Darvi finished out the month of October. By the dawning of November 1st, the two teams were deadlocked at four cloaks apiece, and at least six horses had been found, quite a few animals (or worse) had made a meal of perhaps one or two, what was found – was not at all attractive.

"Oh kayyy," said Katie distinctively. "Let's walk a mile or two further south and get away from this lovely aroma, eh?"

"My thoughts exactly lass!"

"Mine as well."

"Agreed, Milady!"

Over the past week, they had traveled, on foot, the distance from Rivendell to the point of the Angle, the place where the River Bruinen met the Minhiriath and fed into the wider Gwathló river, which was also known as the Greyflood or Agathurush. They were about halfway to their goal

Or anyway, that's what Fëanor said…across a hundred feet of Bruinen. She might have misheard something. In any case, she and Pippin were now faced with the prospect of either going back around the way they came, a hundred leagues, or attempting to communicate across a river that rivaled the Missouri in width. Katie waved to Darvi and Fëanor that they might as well take a load off their feet. Pippin sat on a boulder and she joined him, then pulled off her boots and plunged her feet into the water.

Cold water, maybe ten degrees C.

"Katie," asked Pippin. "What are you thinking?"

"Pippin, I'm sorry I brought you this way, buddy. We can't just go back and let our friends finish the job without us. That water is awfully cold, but I don't see any way around it."

"But you're in leather armor, Milady!"

"Darvi! Go ahead and start up a blazing fire, would you please?" She turned to Pip. "We'll just send Bindi and Bill across with our armor and…"

A good officer must always remember that successful completion of the mission trumps everything, whether it be the lives of the men…or her own modesty.

Even across the width of the river, Katie could hear Darvi struggling mightily to keep from laughing as his captain and Pippin fastened their clothing as high up on their mounts backs as they could. Ropes were thrown and Fëanor caught them easily, though he couldn't stop himself from taking a few long glances.

"Ok, start pulling them separately; we'll just guide them across. Pippin and Katie got in between the horses, a very dangerous position to be in, but keeping as warm as they can was worth the risk, she figured. The mountain water seemed to soak right through her with its nearly icy grip. _Oh man, are we in for it now_, she thought.

The trip across was excruciating for both of them, and the girl and hobbit held on tightly to the reins, and to each other to ward off hypothermia. After about ten minutes, they staggered out, holding each other, trembling with cold and headed towards that beautiful fire.

"So I guess we're calling our contest a draw, Milady?" Katie let out a shuddering laugh. "Y-yeah, I think so, D-darvi. I'm buyin' fer everyone once we wet back…get back, I mean. Thanks for the fire. Fëanor?"

"Yes Miss Kathryn?"

"C-can we expect any more crossings like that?"

"I think we might have one river to cross before we get to Tharbad."

"Good, yes, that's good." Still chilled, she wrapped her arms around Pippin, and the hobbit was glad that he had wrapped his arms around his knees.

It was decided that they would go no further that night. The two swimmers dried themselves by the fire and put on clean clothes, but no armor.

The next day, the second of November, they continued their walk towards Tharbad. At camp that night, Katie gazed at the moon, it was nearly full and she was thinking that maybe they were wasting time when they could be traveling easily. At least they were reassured that they were not alone; they noticed a party of elves traveling southward along the opposite bank. They waved, and attempted to communicate that they should watch the banks for any sign of the ninth rider. The elves appeared to have gotten the message.

"Can you sing us a song, Miss Katie?" Fëanor asked as he pulled out a flute. "We'll go ahead and fill in the notes," he said with an ever so impish elvish grin. She wasn't really in the mood, her mind had seemed a bit off for some reason, but that look the boy gave her... She leaned over and tousled the kid's hair.

"This song is from my ancestors, Fëa, so it's not any language you recognize." Darvi blew a note, and Katie gave them a vibrant display of Armenian patriotism:

_Sasna kacher vertsrin zenker,_

_Mahn achkernoon mech aran,_

_Hayots azki gous aghchigner_

_Asgyarner prni daran._

_Hye kacher! Hye kacher, jamn eh mer orhasagan,_

_Hye gamavorneri khmpov bid' arshavenk Hayasdan!_

_Yur kacherov er puravor,_

_Daron ashkharhi sarer_

_Msho tashden minchev Sasoun_

_Kach Arapon guh hsger._

_Hye kacher! Hye kacher, jamn eh mer orhasagan,_

_Arapoyi shirmov g'ertvienk, bid' azadenk Hayasdan!_

_Fidayabed Kevork Chavoush_

_Yur kacherov ansasan,_

_Yur gadaradz skhranknerov_

_Grchvets Sareri Aslan._

_Hye kacher! Hye kacher, jamn eh mer orhasagan,_

_Mer yerakouyn troshi nerko bid' azadenk Hayasdan!_

_Serop Aghpur Nemroot saroum_

_Yertvil dvets kacheroon._

_"Hayreniki sirouyn hamar_

_Gam Mah, Gam Azadootioun!"_

_Hye kacher! Hye kacher, jamn eh mer orhasagan,_

_Mer yerakouyn troshi nerko bid' azadenk Hayasdan!*_

She was feeling a bit lightheaded after that performance, and excused herself, falling asleep the moment her head was down.

When she awoke, she felt…terrible.

**More Notes(!): Well, more like credit where credit is due. **

"**Loudwater Bruinen" Copyright 3018, The Third Age by Darvi Thodan**

"**Looking for Space" Copyright 1975 by John Denver**

"**Heda Hamzatova" Armenian folk song. If you look on YouTube, there are plenty of different versions of this very old song, but for the one Katie sung, keep an eye out for the girl in the bright blue dress. **


	9. Chapter 9

The first thought that occurred to her as she awoke was that the cold water had weakened her enough that she had gotten the flu. Her joints and muscles ached like nothing she had ever felt before. It could not have been from the rough ground, the elven mats that they had been given were as fine as an air mattress. The morning had dawned and the sun had risen, and she was stiff and aching.

Darvi approached her. "Are you gonna be joinin' us today milady? The day is getting on." She groaned, and tried to sit up and felt a wave of nausea rush over her, right back down she went.

"I'm sorry Darvi, but I don't think I will. I don't know what you call it here, but I think it's the flu. You take charge, eh? Take them as far south as you can, see if ya can't find the riders or what's left of 'em." Katie paused to catch her breath. "Leave my equipment; I'll put Bindi to good use and catch up to you in a day or two."

"Yah. You rest up and get better." Darvi patted his boss on the shoulder and turned to Fëanor and Pippin. "Right then! Let's move out!" The three bid their farewells and Katie gave them a weak smile and farewell salute.

As the day wore on into the late afternoon, the aching seemed to have subsided a bit. She had not eaten since last night, but her intestines rebelled violently against anything that passed her lips. To add to her discomfort, she felt a dull itching under the skin. It was most intense under her arms, her scalp, around her chest and shoulders and running down between her legs, but it seemed to be everywhere. Katie considered bathing in the cold water to rid herself of the sensation, but she didn't want to risk further infection.

She had never even had the flu before, but she had no idea that it could be so uncomfortable. Even Bindi seemed upset, the horse pulled away as much as possible whenever Katie approached.

"Oh come _on! _I'm just trying to _feed_ you, you stupid nag!"

The sun dipped below the horizon, and Katie thought she should again try to get some food down. Her insides rebelled, but Katie's stomach was growling noisily, she was painfully hungry.

As she fumbled through the pack to get some way bread, Katie felt a wave of heat pass over her. She moaned – then gasped as the heat returned and increased steadily.

"God!"

Perspiration broke out as the heat intensified. She pulled off her clothes to get some relief. Katie shuddered involuntarily. An odd crackling hiss started in her ears. She shook her head to get rid of the sound, but it only increased. The itching became a fiery tingling – and she when happened to look down at herself, her eyes filled with tears.

Patches of coarse black hair had appeared on her body. And they were growing, the hairs twisting out of follicles and seemingly fighting for space. The dark patches under her arms and below her abdomen were sprouting wildly and quickly spreading. The black wedge haircut that she loved and treasured as long as she could remember blossomed into a wild shaggy mop.

Realization and fear like she never known possible hit her like a freight train and Katie screamed in panic.

She was crying now, begging for deliverance and feeling shame and humiliation as she felt her even white teeth pushing out into the fangs of an animal. Not so much out of pain or fear at what she knew she was becoming but of how her life might be altered. To her added shame, she knew it was all her fault. Facetious or not, she knew she had asked for the curse. _You knew it was a __**curse**__**,**__ you damned fool_ – and now it would be hers. Forever

The raging heat increased to the point that it seemed as if her bones had been replaced with bars of molten steel. She felt her pelvic bone crack and shift painfully and Katie found herself forced to her knees, sobbing like a child. The patches of wiry hair spread all over her and began thickening, with a dense undercoat now forming as well. The heat intensified and pressure pounded in her legs as muscles began swelling with a sickening soft wet crackling.

"Please…no, _please!" _She went down on her elbows, watching the hairs tickling her forearms as her fur grew in – then hot pressure in her fingers and toes, followed by electric bolts of pain in her hands as dark claws pushed out, shattering her nails. She screamed in pain, then in horror as she watched her hands stretch and mold into her forelegs and paws. Her shoulders reformed, making her stance properly quadruped.

Katie rolled over onto her back and saw that she was now completely covered in shaggy black fur, streaked with grey and silver and getting thicker. Further agony seized her as her spine popped and lengthened and she saw her fully canine hindquarters push away from her, her bones snapping and grinding. Her chest now barreled out to suit her new form and she screamed again and as she did, heard her voice deepen into a bellowing growl.

Her face began tingling, and she moaned in shamed resignation as fluffy black fur blossomed all over her face. Pressure began building in her head; she readied herself. Her jaw and nose pushed out, her mouth filling with razor sharp teeth, as her ears and bushy tail sprouted. An intense desire for raw meat seized her and she howled. As she did so, Katie felt her rage building and her intelligence dwindling away.

Not all of it though, she retained just enough awareness to be tormented by what she was, compared to what she had been. Horror and sadness overwhelmed her, as she felt compelled to turn on Bindi. The proud bay screamed as the massive black wolf pounced on her and bit down hard on her spine. Katie tore into her horse, relishing the taste of the warm meat, all while loathing herself for what she was doing.

Even after devouring the flesh of an entire horse, Katie still felt intense hunger. She sniffed the air, searching for something that might register as food. Her powerful nose picked up something to the north and she headed back, strong leg muscles propelling her into the night under a very nearly full moon.

A deer and a fox succumbed to the werewolf, and Katie went back to the river to drink. While for the most part her thinking had been reduced to simple monosyllables and images, she did have moments of lucidity. As she leaned over the water to drink, she saw herself.

_Oh my God!_

There was no way anyone would mistake her for an ordinary wolf or warg, not with eight three-inch long fangs protruding even with her jaw closed. Her eyes glowed with an unholy scarlet light. Shaken, she drank deeply, howled, then ran as quickly as she could, away from the water.

Until she was exhausted.

"Do we press on, Darvi?" asked Pippin.

"Yes, I think we do, lad. Through the rest of the day and tomorrow in any case. Then we turn back until we find Miss Katie.

"Do you think she's all right?"

"I can't give an honest answer to that, Fëanor. I was noticing that she seemed a bit peaked the afternoon before she asked to stay behind. Didn't think to check to see if she had fever, but I'll not question her judgment."

"What's the terrain like up ahead, Fëanor?" The elf pulled out the map and showed Pippin the area after the Angle.

"I figure that we're a little more than a third of the way to Tharbad counting from the point where you and Katie…crossed. I've not been this way before, but I expect that the land will be getting wetter, and probably softer. The ground in Swanfleet, what we call Nîn-in-Eilph, is said to be particularly treacherous."

"Quicksands?"

"Or bogs and mires. You'll want to follow behind Pip and I, Master Darvi."

Darvi nodded at the young elf's wisdom. While Pip and Fëanor would simply float if they didn't panic, his own body density would possibly cause him to keep sinking.

"Right, well in any case, let's keep movin'. Remember why we're here, lads, now keep yer eyes on the river!"

Katie gasped, sitting upright. It was daytime, and she was back in her human form. The sun was just peaking out over the trees to the east. Her stomach growled from hunger.

Despite herself, she chuckled. Yeah, I was hungry enough to eat a horse, followed by a deer and fox hors d'oeuvres.

Wait a minute, did she cross the river without realizing it? She was trying to work this out while she went over to the water to wash herself off. Katie dreaded reentering the cold water and she cursed herself for not sleeping in a spot that was less muddy

She wasn't in the water long, just enough to remove the caked on dirt, at least she would have the day to dry off and see about finding or fashioning some clothes. As she left the water, shivering, the realization dawned on her that it wasn't dawn at all but early evening. In her exhaustion, she had slept through the entire day.

"Are you _kidding_ me?"

A wave of heat passed over her.

"Oh no…" Katie moaned as her skin began itching anew.

The second time the pain was no easier than the first, in some respects, it was worse; because for whatever the reason, perhaps it was simply one of the torments of the curse, she couldn't stop herself from feeling the same shame and humiliation as she did the night before. Here she was, she prided herself on being a trained professional woman, and she could not stop herself from sobbing like a young child – as she was violently changed into a massive furry creature.

She sniffed the air and ground trying to locate some prey. She instinctively headed towards the northeast. Katie never knew that hunger could be so painful and in one of her lucid moments, she realized that it would not make a difference what crossed her path; either it or she would be dead.

She caught a scent and with growing dread, realized that it was the smell of elves…with a faint aroma of venison mixed in.

"I still think we should attempt to capture the creature. It is far too dangerous to allow to run free."

"Perhaps that is the right strategy Elim, but until Elrond tells us differently, we shall honor his commands."

"As you and he wish. Pass me the, dear Theril"

An unearthly howl shattered the early night.

"…was that a warg, Theril?"

Theril took a deep breath. "That sounds like no warg I have ever encountered, and you know I'm familiar with the breed." Elim unsheathed his weapon, and Theril readied his bow.

Katie padded nearly silently through the wilderness now, the scent had gotten stronger. She dared not try a frontal assault, though she knew that most weapons would have no lasting effect against her. She maintained her distance and began what one of her friends would have called a "VOR/DME arc."

_Great, I'm a freakin'_ **werewolf** _and I'm still thinking in aviation terms while I'm plotting to eat my allies. God, get me outta this!_

Her mind clouded over and the wolf continued circling.

"Do you see it?" whispered Elim urgently.

"It's…I should." Elves could see in the dark, but could not readily distinguish colors, and Katie's streaked fur was enough to break up her profile. She managed to turn the corner, and then silently slipped behind them.

Elim turned suddenly, hearing a rustle in the bushes just north of him. Behind him, a wall of black fur and muscle tore viciously into his companion. Theril scream was cut short as the beast ripped into his throat. Elim screamed in rage and attacked, thrusting his sword into Katie's flank.

It was the last thing Elim did. Katie dropped Theril's body and pounced on the younger elf, her mass and momentum would have killed him even if her fangs hadn't.

Bindi was tasty, the deer and fox weren't bad. The meat of the elves was delicious – and again her pleasure was spoiled as the girl's human intelligence arose in the middle of her meal.

_Oh please, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop… _Had she been able, she would have wept. Nor would she be able to forget. But she remained hungry…

Again Katie awoke hungry just as the sun was descending, she wept bitterly as she knew she would be losing this form momentarily. She moaned as she felt the familiar sensations evolve into physical and mental anguish.

_Just let me find a heard of deer, or maybe even a band of orcs. Yeah, orcs would be good. Are there any orcs on this side of the Misty Mountains – God, am I ever gonna get used to this pain!?_

To her relief, she did find a fairly large herd of elk, and she launched into them with a ferocity few have ever seen. Most of them scattered, but she was able to bring down two with ease, devouring them both within the span of five minutes.

_That's one of the things that really sucks about this form,_ she mused. _I can obtain the meat, but even when it's something socially acceptable to kill, like a deer, or an orc, eh, maybe a horse, I can't really enjoy the meal because I'm so famished I can't savor the fresh luscious taste and texture of the meat and the warm taste of_…"nyom-nyom-nyom-nyom-nyom…"

Of course it wasn't enough. She sniffed around some more, then caught the scent of something intriguing and headed back towards the river. Katie was all beast now, reduced to feelings and sensations. The scent she detected was frankly rank, but it was definitely meat, probably digestible, if it wasn't, it would soon be regurgitated, but the stomach of a werewolf makes that of a tiger shark seem finicky.

As she got closer to the scent, Katie's ears pricked up. Her prey obviously hadn't heard her, it was making no effort to be quiet, or perhaps it thought that it didn't need to. The words were familiar to her for some reason, but in her mental state, Katie was unable to recall them. She crouched in the dense underbrush, and waited for the song to begin again. Then she pounced.

"_The rock and pool_

_Is nice and cool._

_So juicy sweet!_

_Our only wish_

_To catch a fish!_

_So juicy sweet! PRECIOUSSSSSSSS!"_

The creature's flesh was thin and rancid, and it was barely even a snack. She finished everything though, the bones pulverized by her powerful back jaws. The night was still young though, and instinct now compelled her to travel south.


End file.
